


Sebusai Short Stories

by Psianabel



Category: Final Fantasy Type-0
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Romance, Smut, some chapters are fluff, some chapters are smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 51,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4533156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psianabel/pseuds/Psianabel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of fluffy and/or smutty things. Will be updated from time to time. Mostly takes place in the canon storyline, some chapters refer to Orphanage AU (Happy Ending AU). Chapters 1, 13, 20, 21, 38 are nsfw.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake up call (nsfw)

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the fluffy morning sex.

Seven was always an early riser. When the night was slowly coming to an end and the first rays of the sun engulfed the sky in a faint orange, she knew her night was over. It was always like this and nothing would ever change that, not even the fact that someone would gladly keep her in bed all day.

Her body woke first before her mind started to set in, and her body clearly told her that she was in a nice comfy place right now, unable to move away from the source of heat she embraced fully. Even though her source of heat usually stole blankets away from her and wrapped them around herself, always unconsciously she said, but Seven took this as a hint that she should move forward to  _her_ , wrapping her arms around the lithe body she would never get tired of.

Sice wasn't the warmest person, maybe that is why she always stole blankets in the night, but Seven appreciated snuggling up to her nonetheless and the way Sice reacted to her strong arms wrapped around her with moving in to the source of the heat that Seven gave her, she knew her girlfriend welcomed it, too.

Sice was very cuddly even if it didn't look that way and she used that to her advantage most of the time, especially if she was asleep and didn't even notice that she did it.

Like right now.

Seven was unable to to move one bit from her position she woke up from, holding the person she shared her bed with close in her arms, her front pressing in the back of the girl and the pointy hair tickling in her face. Her body itself was actually sore from nightly activities that kept her from sleeping – aching in places where she still could feel  _how_  she got them. Sice's lips and teeth left blue and red bruises on her body and Seven was sure she would make fun of it later when she is awake.

But she didn't want to think about this right now, she was still in a state where her mind tried to kick in and slowly got used to her surroundings. After realizing she was pressed against Sice's back her scent took place, tickling her nose with a familiar smell that made her senses going in motion. Seven snuggled further, still having her eyes closed and only  _felt_  this situation, flatten her face even more in the mess of white hair in front of her and inhaled her faint scent. She sighed at the dizziness that she got from her – it brought back so many memories that it almost overwhelmed her and let her getting lost in her thoughts. So many times … so many memories she had and yet every single one was important to her.

Her arm that was thrown over Sice's sleeping form moved out of instinct, the hand slowly traveling closer to her body, longing for her smooth skin under her fingertips. All she wanted was to play out that one memory that lingered in her mind right now and she just couldn't  _resist_ to react on that. She hesitated at first – Sice was still fast asleep and stealing her wonderful sleep was the least she wanted to do actually – but the words of her clanged in her head, reminding her that it wasn't such a bad thought she had.

 _No no, I like that._   _I don't mind. In fact you can do it more often … and I'll assure you you will get a nice day in return._

And that  _smirk_  afterward only confirmed it – Sice trusted her in that way and if she gave her full consent of this, then … it wasn't a bad idea at all. She might not be a morning person, but if she woke up to  _this_ then she definitely wouldn't say no.

Seven's fingertips reached Sice's stomach now, smoothing over the soft skin of her muscles there, feeling every little movement of her that brought her finally out of her dizzy state of wakening. It would be bad if she was half asleep when she wanted to pull off what she had in mind.

She opened her eyes now and stretched herself a little; not that much though, she still wanted to stay where she was without moving much even though she knew that she had to move sooner or later.

Now that she was fully awake she could move on with her plan giving Sice a morning she earned very much. She popped herself up on an elbow, lifting her upper body up to admire the sleeping form in front of her, her fingers still lingering on her stomach to draw small patterns on the skin there. There only was a small inhale of air from Sice when Seven moved her fingers, but no other reaction came, indicating that Sice was still deep in the dreamland.

With only soft fingertips Seven couldn't wake her up, she knew that of course and that actually wasn't her plan anyways. She leaned down now, brushing a few strands from Sice away with her nose and grazed her lips over the skin right under her ear – one place where she figured Sice was very sensitive. A little stir and a sigh came as reaction, but nothing else, and so Seven continued further, sticking her tongue out now to travel along the base of her neck and planted a few kisses here and there. A sigh came again and a little twitch of her head, too, but that was most likely because of that too sensitive skin there.

Seven wanted to take this slow and steady, making Sice waking up with need and thus she had to go away from that place for now, avoiding this area until later. She kissed down her neck, preventing to touch several bruises that told stories from activities from last night, and traveled to her shoulder and upper arm now, carefully taking note that her own hair wouldn't tickle her too much. Her kisses stopped when she reached Sice's elbow – if she continued further she would fall right on top of her anyways – and so she returned to her previous position on her popped up elbow, looking down to Sice's sleepy face to search for any differences.

_Still sleeping like a log._

But Seven wouldn't give up that fast, she actually enjoyed this a little to much now and she wanted to know how much she needed to do to wake her up.

Now it was time for her hand to move away from the position it was in. Step by step she walked with fingertips along her stomach upwards until she reached the valley between her breasts, lingering a bit there and reached around Sice's arm to get to the area she wanted to be. Nudging her arm a bit away to reveal her chest to her, she leaned her hand in again and decided to graze across her sensitive nipple, slowly and almost without touching it at all. She swirled around it with her index finger, always having an eye on Sice's face in case she showed any reaction to what she did right now.

Another little twitch came, this time it went from head to toes and Seven immediately backed away a bit until it was over. She planted a little kiss on her cheek and reached out for it again, using her flat hand to circle over the aroused nipple and grabbing her whole breast with her hand, squeezing it a little when Sice let out a shaky irritated breath and knitted her eyebrows together for a split second. When her thumb and finger pinched the hardened nipple, she earned another twitch and something that almost sounded like a growl – indicating that Sice was slowly getting there.

She had to hurry now if she wanted to do what she had in mind, otherwise her whole setup would be a total waste.

Leaving her hand on her breast and continuing to squeeze it, she moved to her earlobe and slightly traced around it with her tongue first, then nipped on it with her teeth, making Sice growl  _again_. Seven saw Sice's hand twitching out of the corner of her eye, getting the hint that she should act fast, and released her ear now after she gave her a little kiss on the skin there.

Carefully she nudged at her shoulder with the hand that was previously on her breast, pushing her a bit so she would lie in her back now instead of on her side, making room for Sice to lie comfortably on her side of the bed. Sice stirred again, rolling her head with the rest of her body and appeared to be in the state between settling back to sleep or waking up. Seven didn't want to achieve the former – she wanted Sice to get up pleasant and therefore she had to work for that. She smirked down on her when she hovered over her, getting back to the task she wanted to finish so bad.

Sice's breathing increased when Seven began again to roam over her stomach, moving lower and lower until she found the price she was looking for.

There was a sharp intake of air when Seven went past her trimmed hair and grazed across her folds, letting Sice's legs jerking and opening up out of instinct – it would only be a matter of seconds until Sice would wake up and realize what was going on. Seven was actually surprised how much turned on Sice seemed to be – this little teasing had apparently a big impact on her.

Her fingers played with her folds, not too much since she only wanted to tease her, roaming with her tips up and down the wet area, enjoying these little jerks she got in return.

She leaned down a bit, being only a hair breath away from her ear as she ran a thumb over Sice's lips, feeling her quivering when she dug her fingers deeper in her folds and circles around her clit now.

It was the last straw for waking Sice up, immediately letting a sleepy moan out when Seven kissed her ear and whispered a "good morning". Groaning, Sice moved her head to the side to face Seven, looking at her with half-lidded eyes and a little smile on her face. She dragged her own arms up now and laid them on Seven's back, hugging her as close as possible when she moved forward to capture her lips. It was sloppy and Sice almost missed because her breath hitched in her throat when Seven hit a very sensitive spot with her fingers, but Seven only chuckled at Sice's attempt to give her a proper kiss.

Seven rose up now, balancing herself on the hand that wasn't currently busy, and hovered over her, almost stilling her movements between her legs to give Sice the chance of a proper response. Sice followed her with her head, the sleepy smile still present and roamed her hands over Seven's back, almost purring at the soft and tender movement of Seven's busy fingers.

"Mornin' you too." Sice whispered and closed her eyes again to embrace the wonderful feeling coming from between her legs, her mouth slightly parted to breathe properly.

Seven captured her lips, giving her the morning kiss she deserved while she had an equal smile on her face, but Sice had to let go of Seven's lips in order to release the moan that built up in her throat when Seven suddenly kept on the pace she had before, but immediately stilling the movements again, this time she even removed her hand from her legs to leave Sice with need.

"Aw shit." She swore under her breath and dug her nails in Seven's back, the girl on top kissing her neck now and earned even more moans from her. Her body was on fire and shook off the last remains of sleep, not that she wanted to go back to sleep anyway.

Seven snorted at Sice's reaction, trailing her tongue across her neck down her collarbone and took care that she didn't touch any of her bruises from last night. Instead she admired them for a while, tracing around them while she remembered  _how_  she did them to her – teeth scraping at sensitive skin, Sice trembling under her, moaning and shaking until she couldn't hold it anymore – Seven loved this. But right now she decided not to do that, the mood was way too sleepy for that, so she continued trailing her tongue further down and reached her chest now, stopping right in front of her aroused nipple to look up to her. Sice followed her with her eyes all the time apparently, these light blue hues bore right into Seven's eyes and Seven couldn't resist to take a nip at this sensitive area while Sice was watching her intensely.

Seeing this reaction from Sice brought a chuckle out of Seven and she continued lavishing her with small pecks and bites across her chest, her lips so soft on her skin that it almost tickled. Sice meanwhile enjoyed the little assault, letting herself falling back in the pillow behind her and embraced the warm kisses on her skin that Seven left. With every kiss that Seven planted she moved down on her, trailing her hands along her sides and stroked over her ribs, leaving goosebumps behind that only made them both craving this situation even more.

With every centimeter Seven worked her way down Sice's heart sped up, pumping faster and faster because she knew exactly what will come once Seven was at her destined point.

And Seven was  _good_  with her tongue, Sice experienced it enough times already to knew that and she enjoyed every single time very much so. This time was no exception.

Seven stopped at her lower abdomen, shifting her body more down and placed herself between Sice's legs after Sice opened up to her to let her do that, her arms followed her further down and stopped at her hip when Seven once again looked up to her to search her gaze. Sice looked dreamy even though she was excited and very much aroused, but that didn't stop Seven to make a little pause and enjoy the little tremors from Sice when she run her fingertips over the juncture of her hips. The girl  _cursed_  and bit her lip from cursing even more when Seven didn't stop her little game.

"You do this on purpose, now don't you?" Sice bit back a groan as Seven kissed the sensitive skin there, making Sice reaching out for her to stroke over Seven's gray hair to hold it up for her, so she wouldn't get it in her way. Her twitches were getting more intense and Seven realized it was time for her to move on – she still had plenty of more places to tease her.

"In fact, I do." She chuckled and nudged Sice's hands to make it clear she wanted to move on, trailing her tongue down right in between her juncture until she reached her mound, kissed the spot there and stopped once again only to see that Sice rolled her eyes in her head and breathed even heavier now.

Shifting her arms closer, Seven nudged her legs apart to settle down now, face right in between her legs and so close on getting her price. Sice was more than ready to get her morning gift, she could see it right in front of her – her wet folds already aroused and parted, begging her to give her the release she needed.

Seven took one last deep breath and one last look to Sice's face to see if she still was in the state like before, which she was, and stuck her tongue out, getting the first taste of her in this morning as she stroked at the edge of her folds to slowly going on with her pleasure. At the same time one hand trailed along her inner thigh, soothing with fingertips over the soft skin there to tease her even more.

Sice jerked at the contact, almost ripping her hip away from Seven, because it was an  _intense_ feeling to finally getting the touch she longed for since she woke up. But she craved the touch and did everything to keep her hips in place to let Seven bury her face there. Laying an arm over her eyes and breathing with an open mouth she tried to find a fitting rhythm that was pleasurable for her.

And Seven took it slow and steady, knowing that Sice was sensitive right now and that it would kill the mood if she went right on getting her off. That wasn't the plan; she wanted her to keep the feeling as long as possible – as long as she wanted it to.

A broken moan escaped Sice's lips as Seven sneaked the tip of her tongue deeper between her folds, opening her up with both thumps to reach more of her and moved up and down now, carefully taking note that she didn't touch her clit directly. Instead, she stopped right under it and earned a whine from Sice who wanted nothing more than that.

"Sev …" Sice breathed and removed her arm from her face to tilt her head upwards, searching for Seven's gaze. And she found her deep purple eyes staring right into her, never failing to hold the gaze, even when Sice abruptly jerked her hips away and Seven had to follow her movements to continue to satisfy her.

She kept on with that slow pace, teasing her  _just_  the right amount to know when Sice would be furious and cry out in need. And considering how much she was shaking already, Seven knew it wouldn't be long anymore.

Her legs were trembling in need, she was getting  _impatient_  and wanted nothing more for Seven giving her the power of release. Seven smirked at Sice's steady pushing and pulling of her hips, not knowing what else to do; her body wasn't under her control anymore and only her need for Seven's touch counted. To relax her a bit and calm her down she gave Sice the touch she was looking for; with a loving hum she began to suck on her clit, drawing a crack of her voice out of Sice who immediately fell back in the pillow behind her.

A nice warm feeling shot right through Sice's body that let her heart beat even harder. Now that she got where she wanted Seven to be she began to encourage her, at first low desperate whispers with only calling her name that turned into moans. With every single moan Seven increased the speed of her tongue, making Sice even wilder and wilder until her moans seemed to cracked with every stroke Seven made. She was shaking and grabbing the sheets now, not knowing how else she should control her body when every single time Seven circled around her clit her body shook and poured heat in her belly that built there until she couldn't hold it anymore.

Seven realized Sice was near her orgasm, she watched her all the time, eying every little twitch she made and every time she knitted her eyebrows together – Sice was trembling hard, curling her toes in the sheets as she pushed her hip closer to Seven,  _begging_ her to give her release. And Seven pressed on, her tongue swirling and stroking her wet folds and clit, only following Sice's uncontrolled rhythm that brought her closer and closer to the edge. To hold down her spasm Seven soothed a hand over her abdomen and gently stroked over her lower belly that helped both a bit to get closer to the result they wanted.

The heat was growing fast, faster than Sice expected and it overwhelmed her, made her dizzy in her head. Her lungs were burning from panting and she just craved that one last touch – that touch that would make the heat snap and flood her body with an enormous feeling.

"Sev-" she whined one last time and snapped her head back, cutting off the rest of her name and turned it into a moan that filled the whole room. Seven still pressed on and rode out every wave of spasm that rippled through her body as the result of the orgasm.

Sice was grabbing everywhere to get a hold of that situation and ended up clawing onto Seven's head, keeping her in place. Even though the orgasm was almost over, she  _still_  wanted more, just a tiny bit more for her final satisfaction. Seven winced at the force Sice used, but kept on anyways, humming as another wave of heat hit her – the vibration was the final straw for Sice to drag Seven away from her and pulled her into a deep sloppy kiss, grabbing a fistful of hair to express what she was feeling right now.

She didn't care about the taste of Seven's mouth from her own fluid, only this moment right now mattered – only Seven's lips on her mattered and Sice melted under her. Her nostrils couldn't keep up with breathing, so she had to end the kiss too soon for her liking, but ended up laying her forehead against Seven's and got to see her looking down on her with loving eyes. These purple eyes were a sea of emotions and memories to her and she felt lost in it, drowning in them as the result of the dizziness in her head.

Seven gave her this moment of highness and gathered her up in her arms then, laying Sice's head against her collarbone to hold her close and give her the rest she needed. There were still a few twitches, but they passed soon together with Sice's ragged breath. Sice snuggled up to her, face pressing deep into her cleavage and enjoyed this closeness in the early morning.

It would take her a while to gather strength again, but there was no way that she wouldn't return the favor sooner or later. She yawed widely and stretched a bit, her mind already set on the task she was about to do. Pushing Seven on her back and straddling her, she grabbed Seven's hands above her head and leaned down, her hair brushing over Seven's cheek as the girl below looked at her with amused eyes. Oh Seven knew exactly what would come now.

"Your turn now."


	2. Anniversary Breakfast (Orphanage AU)

Seven sighed at the warmth of the heat that was wrapped around her body and snuggled more up to the source of it. Sice was always warm and with the shared blanket it was even better now. She was breathing low and steady and appeared to be in a deep sleep. Seven adored these times, it was peaceful and quiet and honestly, she always wanted to last these moments forever. But she couldn't stay long, today was a special day and she had a mission … or more like a little surprise for Sice. She rarely had one, usually because her surprises got spoiled by the kids or even herself, because she was horrible with hiding surprises. This time not, this time she said to herself that it has to work, otherwise she couldn't forgive herself and blame herself forever how much of a bad girlfriend she was.

So she unwrapped herself from Sice's arms, carefully without disturbing her. She didn't want to wake her – the surprise would end in a failure then and that would be the worst right now. She quietly got up, ran a hand through her hair, and made her way out of the bedroom, her eyes always on the sleeping woman which made her almost miss the door, but she did it. After she closed the door behind her, she let out a deep breath. First step done, Sice didn't wake up. Good.

With the first step being done, she prepared herself for the second one – going to the kitchen and looked what she can do. The kitchen was Sice's territory and Seven rarely invaded her space there, but today she needed to do it – she was glad Sice was asleep and didn't know that Seven wanted to do. At least she hoped Sice didn't know what she wanted to do.

Now stood there in Sice's holy realm and made an overview what kind of stuff was even available. She knew that Sice just went shopping two days ago, so enough ingredients should be there actually. The only thing that troubled her was finding the stuff she needed, but that shouldn't be too hard.

At first she inspected the fridge, finding a lot of ingredients she needed anyways and a sigh of relieve left her. Well, that was a good start, she could work with that. Next she searched the shelves and cupboards, taking note that she didn't move much stuff around. If Sice found that out, this would end up in Seven being banned from the kitchen entirely. … And Seven liked to accompany her in the kitchen from time to time very much so. Snuggling up to Sice while she was busy in the kitchen was one of her favorite things. The lazy hug she gave her when she stood at the stove, sitting on the kitchen counter while Sice cut vegetables or potatoes.

Seven shook her head when a memory came in her mind. She didn't need  _that_ right now, she had to focus on getting her surprise done.

"Okay okay…" she said to herself and put everything she needed on one place to have an overview of what she had to do first. Bread, some fruits, yogurt, orange juice, she even found some chocolate crumbles … that should be enough for someone who can't cook. Okay, now she had all the ingredients, time to look for the utensils she needed to use. A knife was quickly found, a glass for the orange juice, too. But where are the plates? She already looked through ever cupboard, but she knew they had to be  _somewhere_. Biting slightly on her lip to prevent her from cursing, she looked again through all the stuff.  
_I must have missed it, I'm just blind,_ she told herself over and over, until finally she found the plates, hidden behind the pots. Honestly, who placed plates behind pots; Sice's organization was something else alright. Seven just chuckled and grabbed a plate, shrugging off the little incident and continued to prepare food. Now that she had everything, she could actually start preparing.

Cutting the fruits shouldn't be too bad, she kept herself telling that as she moved the knife carefully. … Her weapon was a whip-blade, using a knife shouldn't be a problem then. It felt like it took her longer than any other human being slicing fruits, but she managed it somehow. It might not look that good, but she did it. The rest wasn't too bad either, putting the fruits in the yogurt was no problem, topping the bread with the remaining fruits neither. The final touch made the chocolate and now it actually looked really good, very tasty even. Seven was impressed by herself that she managed to prepare that. She placed the food on a plate and the plate together with the orange juice and the bowl of yogurt on a tray she found together with the plates.

Okay, this step was done too now. Next step was getting all this stuff in one way quietly over to the bedroom. … That sounded easier than said.  
Seven swallowed hard as she balanced the tray on both of her hands, always eying the orange juice to take note that it won't spill over. Steadying her hands and releasing a shaky breath she made her way to the bedroom.

But when she got to the door, she encountered a problem. How was she able to open this goddamn door without spilling everything over, without making much noise and waking up Sice? She sighed and bite on her lip again, angling the tray close to herself and lifted her foot high enough to reach the door handle. If she knew one thing, then it was that she was flexible … and Sice enjoyed this very much too. But anyway.

She managed to grab the door handle with her toes and slowly pulled it down, wincing every centimeter.  _Don't make a noise, don't make a noise …  
_ The door slightly creaked open and Seven held her breath as she stepped inside.  _Phew she is still asleep. Sleeping like a rock again …_

With steady feet she padded over to the bed and placed the tray on her nightstand, relieved that she managed to carry that tray without spilling anything. Okay, this step was done too now, and now for the last step…

She got back to the bed and moved close to Sice, wrapping her arms around her and listened to the slow breath of her, still sounding like she was deep asleep. Well, time to wake her up, it was late anyway and the food tasted better when it was fresh.

"Sice …" Seven whispered near her, kissing her forehead and moved along her temple.

"Sice~" she whispered again directly in her ear and kissed it then, noticing a little stir from Sice. But she still was deep in her dreamland.  
Seven nibbled on her ear now, occasionally calling her name – and that actually had an effect on her, Seven observed. Sice exhaled through her nose now and groaned, apparently slowly waking up now. Noticing that, Seven pulled away a bit and only stroked over her back and hair now to let Sice comfortably wake up. It took a while, but Sice was getting there.

She blinked a few times before she finally opened her eyes completely, still dazed from her sleep, and the first thing she noticed was a lovely smiling Seven who played with a strand of her hair.

"Good morning, love." Seven greeted her when Sice turned herself on her back to stretch a bit. A little smile was seen on her face too now and with a yelp she turned around to Seven again, greeting her with a kiss on the lips.

"Morning you too."

"Sleep well?"

Sice snuggled up to her now, burying her face in Seven's chest, holding her close with her arms.

"Mhm. Just … a bit more sleep …"

"Hey now." Seven chuckled and patted on her back. "I got something for you."

"Huh?" Sice immediately pushed herself away from Seven's chest and looked at her like a little child. "A surprise for me?"

"Yes." She pushed herself up and now Sice noticed the tray on the nightstand, sitting up now, too.

"Aw, you made me breakfast?"

"Exactly. And don't worry, I didn't blow up your kitchen."

"Good for you."

Sice eyed the food when Seven placed the tray between them and grinned. It was actually adorable, though, it really looked like Seven tried hard and put her effort in it, even though she can't really do anything with food. Sice appreciated the effort from her girlfriend much and couldn't wait to taste the food.

She took a bite and after she swallowed it she thanked her for this nice breakfast. Seven grinned and tilted her head to give her a kiss.

"Happy anniversary, Sice."

"Happy anniversary, Seven."

Best breakfast ever.


	3. Blanket Stealer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a text post on Tumblr.

Seven shifted uncomfortably on the bed and sighed. There was something wrong, but the sleepiness in her body didn't allow her do catch on and so she shifted again, this time rolling to her side and opened her eyes now. It was dark and she couldn't see anything, but she didn't need to, honestly. She felt now what was wrong, and actually wasn't surprised that this happened. Sice stole her blanket  _again_  and was wrapped in it like a burrito with only her head sticking outside, at least that Seven could recognize. It was cold, though, and without her blanket she froze and shivered, but she was way too tired to steal the blanket back and honestly she didn't want to unwrap Sice for that, it looked way too adorable. So instead of moving her whole body she just reached out to Sice, gently running her fingers over her cheek and ended up cupping it, so smooth that she barely touched her. She heard an inhale of Sice who seemed to take note of the gentle touch. But she didn't wake though.

"Sice." Seven whispered in the sleepy voice of her as she ran her thumb over Sice's lower lip.

Another cold breeze hit her and Seven curled up now, hugging her knees with one arm. She traced now along Sice's neck and stuck a lose strand behind her ear; her bed hair was one of her favorite things, because it is the only time Sice had her hair down.

"Sice." She whispered again, this time with a shiver in her tone and Sice seemed to finally take note on what was happening. She groaned and took Seven's hand on her cheek in her hand that was stuck under the blanket previously. A thumb ran lazily over her knuckles.  
After exhaling a puff of air and blinking a few times Sice slowly caught on with the situation.

"Seven?"

"… You stole my blanket again."

"Huh?" Sice looked up and placed herself on one elbow, realizing that she was wrapped in a blanket with a very familiar scent. The other one managed to get under her somehow, not sure how this could happen. "Oh."

Seven nodded and watched how Sice untangled herself from the blanket and moved closer to her, throwing the blanket over Seven's shivering form and wrapped herself around her girlfriend, immediately noticing how the shivers got lesser.  
She still had goosebumps though, but with slow rubs she finally got enough heat.  
Seven snuggled up to her, appreciating the little back rub, and drew the blanket close, so that they both could share it equally without stealing it from another.

Only a minute later after this spectacle both drifted away in a peaceful sleep, holding each other close in their arms.


	4. Sickness, and why Sice shouldn't take care of kids (Orphanage AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orphanage AU.

"How are you feeling?" Sice whispered to the lying woman in front of her. Only a groan came as a respond as Seven hugged her blanket tighter and threw it over her head with only her nose sticking outside.

"Well then." Sice patted with one hand over the blanket mess and crawled out of the bed. "I'll be right back."  
Stretching and yawning a bit, she made her way out of the house.

It was way too early for her, the sun hadn't even risen yet, a few birds chirped outside, but nothing more. Getting up that early was very unusual for her, but the love of her life was sick for whatever reason, so she had to take care of everything Seven had to do.  
The priority now was getting some delicious food done for her poor sick girlfriend, otherwise she couldn't forgive herself and wouldn't be so worried about her health state. Seven was barely sick, she actually had a quite good immune system which was very fortunate when working with a lot of kids.

"Okay, okay …" Sice fumbled with the back of her head as she entered the kitchen. "What can I do, hm."

Letting her eyes wander around the room and eying the ingredients she had, she came to the conclusion that a hot soup was the best she could do for Seven now. She didn't need much of it, so the stuff she had would be enough. The problem was she didn't had enough ingredients for the breakfast for the children and she promised them to make pancakes today. Normally every few days she would go to the nearby market and buy fresh food, and today was the day and she even had planned to go, but with a sick girlfriend in the bedroom and a horde of kids waiting for food … that wasn't a good idea at all.  
Sice let out a frustrated sigh. She couldn't leave the orphanage, she had to do it later then. Somehow.

"Alright let's do this." And with that she began making the soup.

It didn't take long until the first children got up and wondered where Seven was. She was always up when the first children decided to leave the bed and started their day. But not today and that was very strange to them. They hadn't realized that Seven was a bit sickish yesterday, it just went straight over their head and so they wondered what was going on.  
But that Etro Seven taught the kids well and the older ones promptly took care of the younger ones, so every kid had the chance to get ready for the day. But the curiosity was too big for them, they wanted to know what was up. It was a strange situation after all, it never happened before.

Sice hummed a playful melody as she stirred the stock with the ingredients she had, a few vegetables and leftovers from the meat yesterday should do it. She forgot the time around her and only concentrated on the food she was making. Of course she didn't only make food for Seven, she did try to make breakfast for the children, too. At least with the few eggs and milk she had, the rest had to wait.

The smell of the lovely food didn't get unnoticed by a few children, who immediately decided what was going on. Seven was still not out and when there was a smell of food that meant Sice was up. And when Sice was earlier up that Seven, things were definitely strange.  
The kids took the opportunity to lurk in to the house of Seven and Sice, it always had unlocked doors after all, so that was no problem. Sticking their head inside the kitchen they noticed Sice, still in her pajamas and swinging the wooden spoon. It wasn't  _that_  unusual to see Sice in the kitchen that way, but the kids still were confused about the whole situation.

"Mom?" A kid poked his head around the kitchen counter, his hands grabbing the edge of the furniture. Sice was startled by the sudden noise, she hadn't even realized that kids came in.

"Hey kiddo." She turned around and noticed the other two. "You all up already?"

The children looked at each other, worried.

"Well yeah. Everybody is up already."

Sice got to a halt. "Wait, shi-"  _No Sice, no swearing in front of kids._  "I mean, it is that late?"

They all nodded.

"Well okay …"

She turned around again to the stove as the pot on it made bubbling noises. The soup was almost ready and the pancakes in the pans, too.

"What are you cooking – oh!" One of the children climbed up the kitchen counter and eyed the stove. "Are those pancakes? Mom makes pancakes!"

"Yes, I make pancakes, like I promised." Sice grinned at the reaction. The kids sure loved her pancakes. Though her smile faded slowly. "But I don't have enough eggs and milk to make enough for all of you."

"Oh."

The oldest of the three kids stepped forward. "Why is Mommy not up? Did something happen to her?"

"Yeah, she got sick and that is why I can't go to the market to buy new food." Sice slowly stirred the soup again and turned off the stove for that plate. "She would kill me if I leave you alone."

The children began to chuckle. Oh they knew about how Seven could be to Sice if she did something stupid, especially when it came to the children.

"We could go to the market! That way you can stay here and take care of Mommy and we bring you the food you need!"

Sice stopped in her tracks. This was actually a brilliant idea, but if Seven found out she sent kids to the market,  _alone_ , she would be screwed. Very much so. The children weren't allowed to go alone to the market, the way to that was still a bit dangerous. But … otherwise she couldn't finish the breakfast and the kids would be hungry all day and night.

She scratched her head and sighed.

"This is probably a very bad idea, but I think I have no choice."

"Does that mean we can go?"

"Yes." The kids beamed and bounced. "But!" The cheerfulness stopped. "No side trips and only buy things I tell you to buy. And please," Sice whispered now. "Don't tell Seven, she wouldn't have allowed that, but I trust you."

"Okay. That we can do! What should we buy?"

"Here." She handed a list with various things written on it to the oldest one and a bag of gil. "I wrote everything on it and how much you need to buy. I think you three can handle it, or not?"

"Of course!" The kids giggled and made their way outside the house.

Sice sighed again.  _Oh Etro let that be the right thing._  
  
Eying the soup she prepared for Seven reminded her what she actually wanted to do. Seven was still lying sick in her bed and waited for Sice to come back. She tasted the soup one last time before pouring it onto a plate and grabbed a spoon, making her way now to the bedroom with steady feet.  
Carefully she opened the door with one hand while balancing the plate with the other one.  _Almost dropped it, good job Sice._  
Seven was still huddled under the blankets the hugged tight. She was a bit shivering now and Sice started to worry.

"Hey." Sice slowly placed the soup on the night table and slowly let herself down beside Seven on the bed. Again, she run a hand over the blankets to feel the shivering body under her. Seven poked her head out, slightly startled by the light change. Her purple eyes were glassy and her cheeks burned red, probably from the fever she had.

"Hey." It was only a low voice, she wasn't able to bring anything else out.

"I made you soup. Can you sit up a bit?"

Seven nodded a bit and crawled out to lean herself against the headboard. Oh soup was the best thing right now. Slowly Sice lifted the spoon up to her and Seven gave her a weak smile at the attempt to feed her and she accepted it gladly. Spoon after spoon Sice fed her with the delicious hot soup, carefully taking note how Seven acted. She was weak, but the hot fluid flooded through her whole body and calmed her down a lot. Sometimes, only a bit soup could make the biggest changes.  
Soon the plate was empty and Seven crawled under the blankets again and Sice chuckled at the sight. She already looked better than a few minutes ago and she was sure after a good sleep, she could get on her feet again.

"How are the kids?" Seven asked in a relaxed voice after a while. Sice was still sitting beside her and massaged Seven's temples with her thumb.

"Oh they are fine. They could handle themselves very good alone actually."

"You didn't help them?"

"Uh no, I prepared food, so …"

_"Mom! We are back!"_

The sudden voice of one of the kids surprised both of them. Sice slightly jumped as she remembered that she send the kids to the market.  _Oh shit._

"Back?" Seven looked at Sice with curious eyes. "Back from  _where_?"

"Uh you see …" Oh no, this was bad.

"Sice?"

But Sice couldn't answer, because the door swung open and the three kids she send away prior stood in the door frame with bags of the food they brought.

"Hey Mom, we brought the food you wanted us to buy! … Oh, hi Mommy."

Sice slowly removed herself from the bed she was sitting on, because this was a very bad situation for her now.  _Dammit I told them not to tell her!_  
  
"You stay here until you explain to me what you have done."

"Um, we place the food on the counter," A kid exclaimed and all three backed away again. This situation was too intense, "… later then!" __  
  
"Sice, you still have to explain this to me. What did you do."

"Well, you see, I …"

And that is how Sice was never in charge of the children again.


	5. How to get Sice out of bed

Sice was never a morning person. Honestly, she never understood why classes had to start so early, why everyone was so eager to get up and start the day at sunrise when you can easily sleep until noon.  
But  _of course_ the person she shared a bed with didn't have the same opinion as her. No, she stood up immediately when the alarm went off, stretched for a few seconds and up she was. Not one bit tired and ready for the day. How on Orience did she manage that?

Today was one of these days. The alarm clock went off like usual and the girl lying beside her reached out for it to hit it spot-on, like every other day. She returned and stretched like a feline creature to get her sore muscles going. After exhaling a small puff of air she finished and turned to Sice with a smile, who still struggled even to move one centimeter. Oh no, she wasn't ready to get up yet, it was way too early right now for her. Even if it was the same time like every other damn day.

"Morning, Sice." Seven purred in Sice's ear as if she knew exactly what she was thinking right now. And she did, she knew her girlfriend better than anyone else. Sice wouldn't get up  _just like that_.

"Urh" was the only response Sice gave her and threw her arm over her own face. Nope, she definitely wasn't a morning person.  
And her opinion on getting up didn't change even when Seven trailed her fingertips along her belly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As much as she wanted one on her lips … but for that she had to move and that wasn't an option.  
Seven chuckled at the hard response she got. To get Sice up she had to approach things differently. … Hm, maybe …

She crept a hand under Sice's top and stroked over the smooth skin now, carefully and just the right places where she knew it was hard for her to stay that way. But Sice just groaned and turned this time, facing Seven her back and threw a blanket over herself. "No." she muffled inside the blanket.

Seven scratched her head. So much for that.

Well, there wasn't much time left until other Class Zero members would get up and occupied the showers. Seven would gladly shower first and then finish everything else what she had to do in the morning, like eating breakfast, so the time was short. Of course she could go alone, but when she had the chance to shower with her girlfriend, she would take it.

But getting her girlfriend out of the bed was just so damn hard.

Okay, one last chance.

Seven patted over the blanket mess Sice was currently lying beneath it.

"Okay then. I will go and take a shower." She crawled out of the bed and started to collect the shower supplies. "Without you. Alone. Just for myself."

And then Sice snapped.

_She … what? She wants to take a shower without me? Why the hell am I not up!_

Sice immediately threw off the blankets and rolled over to jump out of the bed. It wasn't probably the best idea to do all that so quickly, because her head felt a bit dizzy, but at least she was up now and ready to accompany her girlfriend.

Seven smiled at the sight. Sice's messy hair in the morning was one of her most favorite things … and how she stood right now in front of her was hilarious with those tired eyes of hers.

"What are we waiting for?" Sice asked as she approached Seven and almost tripped on the way. Seven took her in her arms to hinder her from falling and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Good morning you too."

"Hu? Oh yeah, right. Mornin'." Sice then returned the little smile and laid her forehead on Seven's. She closed her eyes and gave her a proper kiss.

"Now we can go."


	6. How it all started

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A take on how Seven and Sice met as kids when they were under Arecia's supervision.

When Mother told them to train, they trained.  
When Mother told them to eat, they ate.  
When Mother told them to sleep, they slept.

It was a daily cycle that repeated itself over and over with no exception. Getting used to it was hard, some did it faster than others, and some took quite a while. But they  _had_ to, they had no choice.

The first days were always the hardest.

Seven was the last one to go to bed; she always checked on everyone else first before she thought of herself and sleep. She wanted to make sure if they were alright – she was the first one here and was used to the new circumstances and daily routine already, so she knew what they all had to live through. For a 7-year-old it was impressive what she understood already, but she learned fast and quick to know that she needed to be there for  _them_. "Them" being other children like her, almost the same age as her – she was still the oldest though – but they were all quite different in character, even though Mother raised them together and wanted them to be together. It was hard, but they managed it and tried to avoid conflict not to disappoint Mother.

She saved them, gave them a new life, and in return they wanted to show her how grateful they were for that and gave her full trust and consent.

-x-

When Seven entered the sleeping hall she only heard a faint sob coming from the right corner – she barely noticed anything in the dark room, but the noise was clearly understandable and alarmed Seven's instincts. Sobbing was never good, especially not when you are supposed to sleep and needed strength for the next day. It stole sleep time and every minute sleep was very precious.

Her curiosity was always strong and if somebody wasn't able to sleep, she had to make sure to at least know why it was that case. And maybe solve the problem the person had.

She slowly walked over to the noise, tip-toeing around the mattresses of other children who already were in a deep slumber, and made her way over to the mattress that lied directly in the corner of the room. A blanket was dragged over almost the whole place and Seven could only point out some white hair sticking out.

_White hair? That must be the new girl then._

The "mean looking girl" - how the others have called her – only arrived two days ago and Seven hadn't seen her yet from close. Mother merely said there was someone new and that she was shy and reserved, didn't talk much and glared a lot, so it would take a while to fully introduce her to the group, but apparently she let her already sleep in the room with the others, maybe to slowly get her used to the new situation.

The sobbing came from under the blanket, Seven noticed, and when she knew one thing then it was that sobbing was a bad sign and so she must be sad. And if someone was sad they needed a hug, she figured out over the course of time. It always helped with the others, why not try it on her?

She leaned down and sat herself right beside the mattress, reaching out to her to pat over the blanket, but the moment she first touched it the girl jerked and the sobbing suddenly stopped, the blanket still over her whole body. It wasn't the reaction Seven imagined, but at least the sobbing stopped. That was something, right?

She nudged her again – Seven wasn't satisfied with only stopping the sobbing, she wanted to know the reason for that - and now the girl pulled the blanket away from her head to figure out who was the cause of her trouble, narrowing her eyes to get a good picture of her. Which wasn't easy considering it was night time.

These eyes watched Seven intensely as if she did something wrong, but Seven was sure she didn't do something wrong, she just wanted to know what was going on and that isn't bad, right? It was her nature to know what trouble others had and often she figured it out way before the person knew it. Seven didn't know the girl though and so she couldn't know what was going on in her head, but if Mother took her in they had to get used to it anyways and so it was only a matter of time until they met.

Seven moved closer to her to give her a bit comfort, sitting on the edge of the mattress now to have her in reach, but the girl only shifted away from her to keep distance between them and held on tight the blanket around her shoulders, giving her a mean look.

_This must be why they call her "the mean looking girl" …_

She didn't understand. She wanted to help her, why can't she see it? The others who arrived after Seven were more open and Seven got to know them fast, this girl apparently wasn't like that.

_I guess she needs more time …_

Now that she knew that she kept the distance between them she moved a bit back again to give her the feeling of safety. The girl still watched her irritated, but at least now she knew that she understood that she didn't like someone near her.

Seven still didn't know why she was sobbing, and there was only one way to find that out.

"Are you sad?" Seven whispered and only got a glare at response.

Well, it wasn't as easy as she thought it will be.

"You're not sad then?" Seven tried again and still got no verbal response from her, the glaring only got more intense.

She sighed and scratched her scalp, running out of ideas what she could do. The girl didn't like closeness and so she couldn't give her a hug, she didn't answer her questions and didn't want to talk. For Seven this was a hard situation and it made her sad, she felt helpless.

"But … if you are not sad, why were you sobbing then?" It was the last thing Seven could do; if this didn't succeed then she had to give up and go to bed without helping the girl.

The girl clutched the blanket again, even tighter than before and buried her face in the material.

" … I'm not sad. If you are sad then you are weak. I'm not weak."

It was mumbled and Seven almost couldn't understand what she said, but she  _finally_  said something and for Seven it was a huge success.

_She can talk!_

"I don't think you are weak. Mother always tells us that we are all strong. And you live with us now, so you are strong, too."

"Mh."

A silence occurred and Seven didn't want to push her further now – it was getting late and both were tired. She might not figure out why she was sad, but at least she got a first picture of her and that was something. She could work from there and maybe try to ask her about that tomorrow, now that she got to know her.

The girl snuggled herself in the blanket again when Seven didn't speak further, indicating that she was done with this conversation and honestly she was getting really sleepy now.

Seven seemed to notice that and backed away, wanting to get to her own sleeping place to make herself ready for the night.

"Hey?" The girl lifted her head when Seven stood up. "What … What is your name?"

"Huh? Oh." She turned around to her again. "Um, it's Seven. And yours?"

" …Sice."

"Okay … Sice. I um, I go to bed now. Good night then."

"No!" Sice reached out to her with an arm and caught her hand. "I mean … wait."

Seven was taken aback by the sudden change of her behavior and shuddered by the unforeseen touch, she almost jerked away out of instinct.

"Huh?"

"Can you … can you stay here? You … seem nice and … yeah."

The words were stuttered and mumbled in the blanket, as if Sice was embarrassed to say them.

Seven blinked a few times to realize what she just said and nodded when Sice released the hand again.

Well, what should go wrong?

"Okay. I get my blanket."

A few seconds later Seven returned with her blanket and lied herself beside Sice who made room for her on the mattress. They were both small and fit perfectly together on the place. Sice seemed suddenly more comfortable now when she released the tight grip from her blanket the moment Seven occupied the provided space.

"You okay?" Seven asked carefully when she made herself comfortable and ready to go to sleep.

"I am … always when Boko is here."

Seven raised an eyebrow.

"Boko?"

"He protects me in the night." Sice said and shifted her arms under her blanket, revealing a stuffed animal – a white chocobo - in her arms. It was small and fit perfectly in her chubby fingers. "When I hold him like this I never get a nightmare."

Seven smiled at her, envious that Sice had such a companion. She had a lot nightmares in the past and would definitely had a good use for a lucky charm – the nightmares weren't that regular anymore, but still there.

"I wish I had one, too. He looks cute."

For the first time Sice's mean look vanished and a small smile took place, releasing the stuffed animal from her arms to set it right between them.

"He can protect you too."

"Thank you, Boko." Seven reached out to the plushy and ran a finger through its soft fur. " … Goodnight then, Sice. And Boko."

"Goodnight, Seven."

It didn't take long for Sice to fall asleep, the sobbing from earlier long forgotten. Somehow she felt safe and that wasn't only because of Boko; Seven had this a calm aura around her that made Sice feel like home, like she finally found a place to be. Or maybe it was because she found her first friend here in this new setting. And maybe it will end up in a great friendship, she didn't know yet, but she could dream of it.

Seven was almost out, too, when she felt something ticking at her nose. She opened her eyes and saw Sice's hair right in front of her face and felt her arms around her, the plushy pressed between them in an uncomfortable angle. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on and wiggled the chocobo carefully out, placing him right above their heads to let them watch over them. She had to admit that Sice was cuddly and actually it didn't bother her at all. It was a strange and new feeling, but it was alright and if Sice could sleep that way then be it.

Tilting her head a bit so Sice's hair wouldn't tickle her anymore, she closed her eyes and embraced to warmth Sice brought with her, making her fall asleep fast.


	7. Sleepy Purr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morning Fluff.

The first rays of the sun shone through the window curtains and tickled the sleepy Seven on her cheek and nose when she was in a state between awake and asleep. She wasn't bothered by the sunlight, it actually helped her to get out of the dizzy state of her mind, nor she bothered the weight that was sprawled on top of her and trapped her in strong arms. Sice had buried her head in Seven's neck, her chest steady rising and falling against Seven's own body, and wrapped her arms around her to hold her close. And from the looks it seemed that she didn't want to move from this position anytime soon.

_Still sound asleep._

The morning couldn't have started any better. Classes started two hours later today and so everyone could sleep in a bit, enjoying their morning for once.

Seven tilted her head a bit, carefully not to much for Sice to notice, to search for the clock on her nightstand table to check the time. Good, it was still enough time until they had to get up and get ready for class, and that means more time for her to admire the beautiful sight she had in front of her.

It was one of her favorite things to do in the morning when they had time.

She returned to her previous position, sighing as she laid her eyes on the sleeping girl on top of her who was for Seven the most adorable thing in the world. Her features were always soft and calm when she slept, free from any snark and pissed off looks, as if she only knew peace in her life.  
The hair was as messy as always, though now it was even worse – it always was when she put down her ponytail. But Seven  _loved_  it when her hair was like this, she finally had a chance to glide her fingers through her thick hair and Sice would lie if she didn't love it, too. There was always a low purr whenever she slowly massaged her scalp, her fingers deep in the silver strands.

_Does she purr too if I try it now when she is asleep?_

The desire to just do that was hard to resist, the low purring against her skin brought her calmness and butterflies in her stomach – it was a gentle and intimate sound only she was able to experience from Sice. To hear that, to  _feel_  that right now was high appreciated and it took her every strength not to reach out and sooth her fingers over her head. She was sure Sice would wake up from it and that wasn't her intention at all – the sleepy face was too cute to look at and Sice honestly deserved a bit sleep.

Lately she didn't sleep very well the past days, Seven could feel her restlessness over the day and the tossing and turning at night. That she found a bit rest this night now was a miracle; there was no way that Seven wanted to end that for her.

So instead of soothing over her hair she opted for her back instead, carefully shifting under the blanket to lay her flat hand on Sice's back without disturbing her. And it seemed to be fine with her and continued to drift in her slumber.

Seven closed her eyes again for a while, embracing this little moment of peace they rarely had now; between war, fighting and surviving, there wasn't much time for this, so she enjoyed every second of it.

The noises from Sice's breath, mixed with the chirping of a few birds outside made the situation even better and Seven was very close to fall asleep again.

… If there wasn't a twitch of Sice's head that brought Seven back to reality and she immediately laid her eyes on her girlfriend again who appeared to slowly wake up from her peaceful sleep.

There was a long intake of air and a shift in her arms that pressed Seven more against Sice, a low groan that came from deep in her throat ended in a deep exhale finished this little scene and Sice shifted her head a bit to search for Seven's loving gaze she encountered every morning when she woke up.

Seven meanwhile soothed over her back with the hand that already lied there when Sice stepped out the sleeping world, drawing little circles upwards and upwards until she reached the base of her neck to stop there. Whenever she moved forward with her fingers Sice formed a little smile on her face that grew wider and wider the further Seven approached her head.

It was a loving smile that came from her heart and together with her sleepy eyes Seven wasn't able to hold back a chuckle, because she knew exactly why Sice looked at her like that.

"Can I get a morning kiss?" Sice pouted and Seven in return tucked at her neck, pushing her a bit closer to her until Sice balanced herself on one hand to get near her, until their lips met and she fell down on her again, their bodies embracing each other in this hazy moment.

The kiss wasn't long, instead Sice snuggled up to her with her forehead pressed against Seven's neck, nudging her with sleepy noises as if she couldn't get any more near her.

Seven smiled and snorted at Sice's drowsy behavior, her hand finally traveling further to her head now that Sice was awake. Circles were made along the way until her fingertips caressed over her silver hair, gliding through every strand and massaging her scalp.

And there it was – the purring Seven loved so much. It was low and almost not audible, but the vibration of it was clearly there and filled Seven with warmth that only Sice brought her. Sice of course enjoyed these moments very much – it was the proof that she would never trade anything for it. Seven was hers and hers alone and nothing would ever change that.

It felt like time stood still in this moment, both enjoying their warmth of each other, savoring their closeness and fondness, knowing that they had to get up soon.

But for the time being everything around them was just perfect.


	8. Sick cuddling

“There you are.” Seven sighed a breath of relief when she opened Sice’s door to her room and closed it behind her, a bag in her hand that she put on Sice’s desk once she stepped inside. A low groan came from the other side of the room, muffled by heavy blankets that covered Sice’s whole body that Seven feared that she might overheat. She knelt down in front of the bed and patted over the blankets to get Sice’s attention to her. A few white strands poked out, nothing more and Seven wondered how she could breathe under there.  
  
“Sice?” She called out and only got a groan in response, not a single attempt to move came from her and let Seven concerned. “I … brought you some food since you didn’t show up at dinner.”  
  
“Huh?” Sice drew back the covers now and blinked a few times to get used to the light of the room, rubbing her eyes and eying the confused looking Seven who was now more than concerned than she was before. “Wait, dinner is over? Damnit, is it that late already?”  
  
“Uh yeah it is. Hey,” Reaching out to her Seven slowly stroked with a thumb over Sice’s cheek and Sice immediately leaned in to the touch, letting herself falling down to the pillow to embrace the soft touch. “… you’re warm. Feels like you have fever.”  
  
Sice sighed deeply and closed her eyes, laying her hand on Seven’s that was on her cheek. “I have a big headache, yeah. Not sure about the fever … probably from the warmth of the blankets. I must have fallen asleep …”  
  
Her words were almost a whisper, still weak from the nap she took, and Seven scratched her head at the confession of her girlfriend. She was rarely sick from those usual illnesses you can get, but when she got then, they were worse.   
  
“Headache huh?” Seven removed her boots and crawled on Sice’s bed, drawing back the covers to move under them with her legs, too. Sice looked at her with glassy eyes, not sure what Seven had in mind. “Come here.”  
  
She leaned herself against the headboard and patted on her lap, waiting for Sice to make a move. And Sice understood, laying her head on Seven’s comfy legs, drawing the covers back until they reached her chin and closed her eyes the moment Seven laid her hands on her neck.   
  
Seven knew exactly what she needed to do when Sice had a headache and it worked every single time – and Sice would never complain about this, not when she was sure she got rid of the pain  _and_  got to feel one of Seven’s beautiful massages.   
  
She groaned when Seven started at her neck, her thumbs pressing down on her spine, circling upwards until she reached the base of her neck. Her fingers followed suit and glided through her hair when she pressed down on her scalp, gentle and with care – she didn’t want to make the headache even worse. Sice had her mouth open all the time now, breathing through it and sometimes a growl slipped through it, too. She enjoyed it  _a lot_  and for her it was the best thing that she could ever hoped for now.   
  
Seven moved her hands further, her thumbs pressing down at the base of her neck while her fingers massaged her temples, drawing ever pain out of her head. She looked down on her though, smiling at the relaxed expression Sice made whenever a part of her pain was gone.  
  
It went on like this for a few more minutes until Sice didn’t make any noises anymore and Seven removed her hands from her head, leaning herself down to give her a quick kiss on her forehead. But when no reaction came from Sice she drew back again and huffed.  
  
_Of course you fall asleep, what did I even expect …_  
  
She tried to move, but feared she would wake up Sice in the process and she looked way to adorable – she wouldn’t dare to do that.   
  
Scratching her head Seven rested her head against the headboard and closed her eyes, too, not sure what to do else. Maybe she would try to move later, but for the time being this was her best bet. And honestly having Sice’s head in her lap wasn’t that bad; Sice was cuddly and comfy, even if it didn’t look like it.   
  
_Well, it’s your fault if you food gets cold …_   _and I hope my legs don’t fall asleep._  
  
Oh what she did for love.


	9. First Kiss

Sice’s heart sped up when she slowly realized in which situation she was in. It was something they did a lot in their past, especially when they were still little children, but the circumstances changed and it was  _different_  from the things she did before – with  _her._  
  
That she actually liked sharing a bed with Seven in the past she would never admit or say out loud and it wasn’t necessary in the first place, because deep down she already knew that Seven liked it, too, back then. Otherwise she would have never took the opportunity to seek her warmth when times were rough, when everything went above her head because she was still too young to understand.   
  
For Seven Sice was the stuffed animal she never had – something or someone who she could embrace in the night to let her forget the awful things that happened during the day. They were 7 and 8 years old when they started to sneak into each other sleeping places beyond everyone’s notice, after a few years it suddenly stopped without any word, now they were 16 and 17 years old and they started to do it again.   
  
And if Sice was honest with herself she missed it all the time.   
  
Seven was still as cuddly as she remembered, her low breathing was music in her ears and brought her the calmness she needed for the night after a stressful day. They just had spend two nights in a row together and for Sice it was like this time had never stopped from the start. Her feelings for Seven might be different from a friendship now, but the love in her heart made this whole situation more intimate and left her body with a tingling sensation.  
  
Seven had her arms wrapped around her middle, her head was close to her chest, and their legs were entangled in deep embrace. Considering her steady low rise and fall of her chest and calm features she was far in the dreamland – that the roles were set this way today was seldom; Sice remembered that she rarely got to see Seven asleep, indicating that she usually fell asleep first and Seven would follow her and now she wondered if her sleeping pattern had changed over the years.   
  
If that was the case then she was glad she finally was able to see this adorable sight in front of her, mentally cursing to herself why she waited so long to tell Seven about her feelings.   
  
It was only a week ago when she admitted after a long conversation that was more a jumble than anything else, that she felt more than a friendship to her and that she couldn’t bear this ache in her heart anymore. It was Seven who interrupted the mess of speech Sice had more or less prepared and pulled her in to a hug she would never forget in her life. The caring whisper of Seven’s own confession let Sice shed a tear that dried in Seven’s clothes on her shoulder and her heart melted at Seven’s words. A kiss on her cheek let the tear forgotten and it was the moment Sice knew she finally found her home.   
  
Seeing her wrapped around her with a faint smile on her face brought back the memories of the week prior. Seven’s hugs were always special to her and to know that she was the one who got to experience those hugs on regular basis now let her embrace those even more.   
  
She couldn’t resist to lean down and brush her lips against her cheek to make this moment perfect for her – but it never came that way, no. To say that she wasn’t prepared for  _this_  was a huge understatement.  
  
Instead of touching her cheek her lips fell on Seven’s mouth as Seven just in that moment tilted her head out of nowhere. Sice immediately pulled back and gasped, staring at her with wide eyes and open mouth.   
  
… They never had kissed each other on the mouth before and so it  _technically_ was their first kiss, but Sice was still shocked this just happened. Out of all the things, but not  _now_.   
  
Seven opened her tired eyes and let out a sleepy chuckle at Sice’s expression who still stared at her with disbelieve.   
  
“Wait, Sev-”  
  
But she got cut off with a pull on her head and got dragged down, her lips once again on Seven’s, but this time it felt way better, way more planned than before. Sice inhaled deep through her nose when Seven tugged her closer when she rolled herself on her back and embraced Sice on top of her, not letting go of her even though both were shaking of nervousness.   
  
Seven gently clawed at her back while Sice held her balance on her elbows, her hands left and right on Seven’s cheek to have even a little control on what was going on right now.   
  
Everything around them felt hazy, all that mattered was this moment, losing themselves in their gentle touches.   
  
Sice was so caught up in that kiss she didn’t even notice that Seven brushed her tongue against her lips, urging her to open her lips to seek entrance. And Sice obliged, groaning as their tongues touched. Apparently Seven had a very _active_  tongue and every time she was able to touch Sice’s a nice hot feeling shot right through her body, leaving little goosebumps on her skin. The small whimpers coming from Seven whenever Sice tried to take control fueled this warmth even more and both got exhausted by it very quickly.   
  
With a soft plop they parted their lips, looking at each other with dazed eyes, unable to recall how much time must have passed, but the smile on Seven’s lips reminded Sice where she was and what happened. She returned the smile and gave her a quick peck, still thirsty for her touch that let her lips burn with need.   
  
Seven just chuckled at Sice’s behavior, pulling her again against her and let Sice have the control this time.   
  
… She knew this was only a way to make her sleep coming short, but it was definitely worth it and way better than sleep anyways. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: Imagine person A of your OTP trying to secretly kiss person B’s cheek while they’re asleep but B shifts and A accidentally kisses their mouth and pulls back flustered and looks down at a wide eyed B who pulls them back for a real kiss.


	10. Afternoon Bliss (Orphanage AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a cuddly night in the orphanage.

Seven stretched her arms in the air when the door behind her closed, making several tiny noises in the back of her throat as the soreness of her back faded a bit. Honestly, tucking a lot of kids in their beds, making sure they are alright and don't do anything stupid, saying every single one goodnight was a lot of work, but she loved it. She loved every single day with those orphaned children and she wouldn't trade anything for it – it was her calling and her own future.  
  
It was the future she shared with her girlfriend Sice who already did her fair share of work in the orphanage they had and was currently sprawled across the sofa, arms and legs drawn from her as she waited for Seven to return.  
  
Once the children slept the night was quiet and peaceful and Seven and Sice could finally spend their time together without being interrupted. With many children around these times were cut short, so they appreciated every minute of it. Sure, it could be that one child might interrupt them, because they couldn't sleep or was thirsty, but it wasn't a regular thing and neither Sice or Seven really complained if that happened. They were children, it was okay.  
  
“Hm, you finished with everything?” Seven asked her casually when she walked over to the kitchen that was right the next to the small living room they had.  
  
“Yeah, I cleaned everything and I even prepared breakfast for tomorrow already.” came a shout back from Sice and Seven only smiled when she entered the kitchen, seeing Sice's work and the small preparations she made for breakfast.  
  
There was bread that only needed to put in the oven tomorrow, plates and knives were already selected. Things should go way faster with that and Seven was very pleased by that.  
  
But she didn't go in the kitchen to check on Sice's work, no, she knew Sice wouldn't lie to her. Instead she looked for a cup she found quickly in one of the cupboards, together with a small pot, and looked in the fridge to search for the beverage that definitely would make the night she wanted to share with her girlfriend way better. Alcoholic stuff wasn't her thing, so she opted for something else instead.  
  
“Spying on my work huh?”  
  
Sice suddenly snuggled at her back, her arms wrapped around her middle and her chin pressed on her shoulder, when Seven set down the milk carton she took from the fridge. She slightly jumped at the abrupt appearance of her girlfriend, actually thinking Sice was still sitting on the sofa in the living room and enjoying the heat coming from the fireplace in the meantime, but sank back in her arms and sighed, laying a hand on Sice's hands that were folded on her stomach and nudged her cheek.  
  
“You scared me for a moment.”  
  
“That I could feel.” She chuckled and gave a quick kiss on her shoulder. “So, what are you doing?”  
  
“You know, the usual.”  
  
Seven set the pot on the stove and poured the milk in it, switching the heat on and then turned around to face her girlfriend, releasing herself from Sice's grip and settled her arms around her neck to keep her still close.  
  
“Chocolate Milk?”  
  
“Mhm.”  
  
“Wonderful.”  
  
Sice grinned and stepped closer to her, setting her feet left and right beside the woman who smiled down at her, pushing her a bit backwards to let her bump into the counter behind her. On tip-toes she leaned in to capture her lips, almost falling over because the height difference was too big - combined with the position where her feet were standing right now she was even smaller. But Seven caught her and brought her back to her feet, both giggling at their clumsiness.  
  
Now that she stood steady on both feet Sice leaned in again, this time taking note on how she balanced herself on top-toes, smiling when she pressed her lips against hers. It was slow and soft – Seven sighed at the gentleness Sice gave her, brushing her tongue against her lips and Sice took the hint to let her in, groaning as they deepened the kiss.  
  
They might have kissed a lot in their lifetime, but Seven was always very fond of Sice's gentle kisses against her. Every single one was special, even those quick kisses they gave each other when there wasn't time for a proper one. And each of those let them both melt under their touch, grasping at each other to get a hold of themselves to not trip over. They _longed_ for each other and they were really glad that didn't changed over the years they were together, even though their time together was a bit cut short, because of their work of the orphanage. That didn't bother them one bit though, they always saw each other – they were just busy with different things.  
  
Their lips still pressed together Sice sneaked her hands downwards, grabbing Seven's bottom in a firm hold and earned a heavy exhale from her, lifting her up with both hands and set her on top of the kitchen counter. Seven leaned down to her to keep the lips on her while Sice placed her hands on her thighs, groaning as Seven clutched her hands at the back of Sice's head.  
  
It went fast and clumsy, the heat in them boiling quickly – it's been a while since they could a night together like this, and so things might go a bit rushed. Losing in themselves, they forgot the time around them with the kissing and grabbing.  
  
… If there wasn't the pot on the stove that suddenly fizzled and clattered, with the milk almost boiling over.  
  
They both jumped at the sudden noises, coming back to the reality as they turned their heads to the pot and Sice immediately set the stove off while Seven rescued the pot, sighing in relief when she noticed that nothing got spilled.  
  
“That was close.”  
  
Seven rubbed her forehead with her hand, seeing Sice almost burst out laughing at this situation while she banged her head against Seven's tight to still her laughter.  
  
“We can't even heat up some milk when we are together.” Seven laughed now, too, and ran a hand through Sice's hair when she was in her lap.  
  
“Now you now why you are banned from my kitchen when I cook.”  
  
“Fair enough.”  
  
She jumped off the counter right into Sice's arms, quickly giving her a small peck on the lips, and finally made the cups of hot chocolate milk ready – filling the milk in the cups and measuring the cocoa she needed for the perfect result. Enough times already she made chocolate milk for her and Sice, knowing exactly how much powder she needed to use.  
  
Sice meanwhile continued hugging her from behind when Seven stirred the beverage, the same hug as she arrived here – and she didn't even let go when Seven picked up the two mugs to return to the living room, resulting in an awkward and slow walk where both chuckled at the silliness they brought to day.  
  
They might be adults now but that doesn't mean that they weren't children in their hearts – they always were and will always be, even though they never were real children in their lifetime in the first place. Maybe that is why this childishness came to surface now - with the war over now they could finally rest and do what they feel like, unhindered by any missions and tasks they were ordered to do.  
  
It took them a while to get used to all this freedom they had now though, years actually, until they realized they were free to do anything they dreamed of.  
  
And they made the best out of it.  
  
Seven took carefully note that she didn't spill the chocolate milk when she stumbled along the living room with Sice clinging at her back who took exactly every step Seven did.  
  
It was silly, they knew, but it had been a while since they had a night together and wasting it with seriousness wasn't on their agenda.

They managed to reach the table where Seven could safely place the mugs down, proud of herself that she didn't spill one drop of the chocolate milk.  
  
She took Sice's hand in hers when she let go from her now and tugged her closer, opting to sit on the sofa together with her. But Sice took the opportunity and held against it, drawing Seven close instead – and opted to sit on the floor.  
  
Seven was confused first and wanted to say something – sitting on the rug wasn't as comfortable as the sofa, but when Sice took the blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around them, her complaining faded entirely and sitting on the ground didn't seem as bad as she thought as it was.  
  
Sice only smiled when she noticed Seven's expression, nudging her a bit on the shoulder when she reached around to get the two cups of chocolate milk and handed Seven her cup. They clinked them together and then took a sip, looking in their eyes when they did.  
  
Calmness they found in each other, a warm little flame that sparked in them whenever they were close – it brought them comfort and a feeling what they hadn't known in all their lives.  
  
Seven's gaze wandered to the fireplace that flickered in front of them when Sice shifted to her side to lay her head on her shoulder and snuggled close, the glimmering flames brought them heat and a cuddly atmosphere.  
  
It was home they finally found, a place where they both felt safe and happy, forever and together in the freedom they choose.  
  
Seven tilted her head and place a kiss on Sice's temple, sharing her warmth with the woman she loved.  
  
The night was perfect and they both knew the memories of it will always be in their hearts. 


	11. Malice Afterglow

Seven was almost out when she noticed a shift from Sice against her, her arms slowly drawing around her and she pressed herself against Seven's back, tangling their legs together in a tight embrace.  
  
It was when Seven heard a deep sigh behind her she turned around to her then, lifting her arms up to have some space to move in-between the hug. In the faint moonlight she could make out the half-lidded eyes from Sice, shimmering as she looked at her with an adoring gaze.  
  
“Can't sleep?” Seven whispered, her voice deep and heavy with sleep. She stroked slowly over Sice's silver messy hair and tucked a strand behind her ear, awaiting an answer.  
  
Only a hum was the response and Sice snuggled up to her without another word, face pressed against Seven's chest and hold her close. Seven only chuckled at this, placing a kiss on her temple and just let Sice do what she had in mind.  
  
After the mission today they spent a lot of time together for Sice's aftercare; the malice was a bit tricky to get rid off this time, but they managed it like they always did, it just took quite longer – they lost sight of the time around them and it was suddenly nighttime; the moon was up and shined bright, no clouds hindered the sight of the stars and engulfed the dark night in a faint gray. Not that they complained the late time though, they were just happy the malice was under control for now – too exhausted to do anything anyways.  
  
Sice seemed to be still in the hazy state of the afterglow, but that didn't matter – Seven didn't care, neither did Sice. They enjoyed their time together in silence.  
  
When Sice didn't move for a few minutes Seven patted over her head, checking if she was still awake in this awkward and cramped position she was in. When she earned a low purring from her she knew Sice was still there, just too lazy to move.  
  
“You're very cuddly today.”  
  
An arms sneaked up and rested on Seven's back, the other one she tucked under Seven's head to to embrace her fully, letting go of her chest and shifting a bit upwards to face her now. She gave her a little peck on her lips and touched her forehead with her own, drinking the calm aura around her to sink even deeper in the hazy state.  
  
“I know.”  
  
Seven closed her eyes and continued to stroke over Sice's head, feeling her breath tickling on her cheek become slower and gentle; sleep wasn't far for both of them and they definitely earned the rest after such a day.  
  
Sice gave her another quick peck, but when Seven didn't react it was clear that she was in a deep slumber already. A smile played across her face, nuzzling then against her to get ready to fall asleep, too.  
  
“Good night, love you” was the last whisper heard in the night, a gentle hushed tone that covered them until the early morning.  
  


 

 


	12. Nightmares

It was late in the night when Seven got woken up by an unusual noise – a faint sobbing accompanied with deep breathing that came from behind her, rhythmic and steady. Her body was still heavy from sleep, sore from the afternoon training. And yet hearing this sound made this sleepiness going away really fast – her instincts were on an alarming state when she didn't feel her girlfriend clinging at her back like she normally did.  
  
Seven blinked a few times to to get her heavy eyelids working and turned around then, touching the spot beside her to make out where Sice was lying. Apparently she found her legs that were covered by the blanket they shared, patting more to the side now to roll over to her.  
  
“Sice?” She whispered when she ended up hugging her girlfriend's legs and felt Sice's hands on her head and shoulder, feeling her shivering and sweating. “Sice, are you okay?”  
  
“Go back to sleep.” Her voice had an unusual hurtful undertone, rough on the edges that she normally had only on mission.  
  
Of course Sice knew her girlfriend wouldn't do that, in fact she did the right exact opposite – crawling right on top of her Seven rubbed her eyes before she sat up, swinging her legs around to sit right in Sice's lap. She reached out to her and cupped Sice's face with both hands, rubbing her thumbs across her cheek and felt the reddened skin there, wet and burning from heat.  
  
“Hey.” Seven was fully awake now when she felt her. Sice's shivering hands were on her hip now, drawling little circles with her thumbs when Seven stroked over her, distracting herself because she didn't want Seven to see her like this, but she knew she would and she couldn't change that.  
  
“Seven I-”  
  
“Ssh, it's okay.” She moved closer to her and wrapped her arms around her now, Sice doing the same when Seven nuzzled her cheek against her shoulder and embraced her fully. “I'm here, everything is fine.”  
  
Sice exhaled loud, swallowed, and nodded, knowing that Seven just wanted to help her. But nightmares … she had to face them alone when they came, haunting her in her sleep when the only thing she wanted was rest.  
  
Since she was little and under Arecia's supervision she had them; they never let go of her and it was _always_ the same dream.  
  
They laid there for a while in just this embrace, Seven waiting for Sice to breathe again properly while she caressed her cheek and gave little pecks on her throat, earning a little smile from Sice when she nudged her with her nose. Sice knew she was safe in her arms and that no harm will come to her, and yet the fear and exhaustion from the things she saw still lingered in her bones and stole her the nerve to go back to sleep.  
  
“That dream again?”  
  
“Mhm.”  
  
It was a never-ending cycle of her past. Harsh cold, endless white plains, aching muscles and bones, freezing from head to toe. They were the last days of Sice's life before Arecia found her and one of the worst days she ever survived. You couldn't call this living – a starving girl who pick-pocked Milites soldiers to have enough food for herself.  
  
The nightmares brought it all back. The pain she felt those days, being alone without any help. So when Arecia came in her life she was saved and felt loved for the first time in her life. And then there was Seven who walked with her hand in hand together through everything that was thrown at them, who even brought back her ability to trust in other people again.  
  
It didn't change the past what she felt now, but at least she knew that she would never feel this pain again – not with Seven at her side, guiding her to see the good things in the world for once. She craved her irradiating calm aura and drank it, nuzzling closer to her until her soothing touch was the only thing left in her mind.  
  
Sice closed her eyes when Seven drew the blanket over her shoulders and covered Sice with it, too. She shifted a bit to lie comfortable now with Seven on top of her who snuggle close to her, letting her know that she wasn't alone in this night.  
  
“Do you want to try to sleep?”  
  
Seven tilted her head to see if any answer came from her, but Sice already had her eyes closed and only nodded, yawning before Seven leaned in to give her a kiss. They only chuckled when Seven yawned in the kiss and they had to let go from each other, smiling then when Seven gave her a proper kiss.  
  
“Okay, good night then.”  
  
She returned to her previous position and embraced her, feeling the sleep overcoming her quickly.  
  
Sice's mind was full of the calm and gentle aura, bringing her only memories she treasured much and loved. The first time she hugged Seven, seeing her loving smile that let her heart speed up, gentle whispered words that where only meant for her - their first kiss under the tree in the garden behind the classroom.  
  
Before the sleep took control of her she whispered three little words that she would never get tired of saying to her. Seven answered her with the same words, mumbling them as she fell asleep on top of her. She knew Sice still heard them, if not then she definitely didn't have qualms to say them again and again the next morning.  
  
  
Bonus: **Things where always that way**  
  
  
Sice rubbed her eyes when she entered the dining hall, her blanket carried with her like a cape and sat down with tired eyes, dragging her blanket over her head. She haven't slept good at all and if she was honest with herself she'd rather go to bed again. But she didn't want to make Mother sad when she didn't appear at the breakfast and … having food in the stomach was good too.  
  
“Sicey! You're finally there!”  
  
Cinque's chirpy voice ringed in her eyes and she groaned, almost bashing her head against the table. _How can people be so cheerful in the morning?_  
  
“Yeah …”  
  
“Mother said we have special training today! So hurry up and eat. Oh I can't wait to see what training we get today~”  
  
_Special training? Oh great._ Really great. In this tired state she was in she couldn't even think straight, how could she fight then? She rubbed her eyes again to make this blurry sight going away somehow and eyed the leftovers from the breakfast. It wasn't much, actually it was literally nothing, but Sice just shrugged and grabbed a slice of bread and smeared butter on it, knowing that Mother's food was good anyways.  
  
Her eyes almost fell close when she bit in it. She was _too_ tired to function, she wasn't even able to eat properly, but she had to get going – missing training was definitely not her thing, even if she was dead on her toes.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Sice shrieked and twitched at the sudden touch on her shoulder, almost dropping her bread in the hand. She was so caught off guard that she hadn't notice Seven sitting beside her with a concerning expression on her face.  
  
“ … Hey.”  
  
Seven dropped the hand on her shoulder and scratched her head, eying the poorly bread in Sice's hand.  
  
“You're late today.”  
  
_Oh not she too... I just want my peace._  
  
“ … And this doesn't look very tasty.” Seven continued.  
  
Sice sighed and really felt the urge to bash her head against the table. It was way too early for that and her mood didn't help either.  
  
“What do you want, Seven.”  
  
Seven swallowed and opened her mouth only to close it again, thinking about the words before saying them out loud. She always looked out for everyone and so for Sice, too. And seeing her in that state made her heart ache – no one deserved to have a bad morning and so she tried to make the best out of it.  
  
“I um … I figured you were coming late, so I packed away some food for you to eat.”  
  
She shifted a bit and revealed a little bad under her jacket, placing it on the table and opened it.  
  
“I know Nine and Cater always eat your favorite food …” Seven scratched her head again, “... and I don't want you to be sad when you come late to breakfast and see your eggs and bacon are gone already.”  
  
Sice's eyes immediately lit up and she dropped her bread, the sleepiness leaving her body at the sight of the perfect cooked bacon. Ripping her blanket away from her head, her mouth watered and she grabbed the food, inhaling the beautiful smell before she took a bite and release the aroma in her mouth, groaning even when every nerve on her tongue tasted it.  
  
It was like heaven and Seven chuckled at Sice's behavior, knowing how much Sice loved food.  
  
“I knew it was good idea.”  
  
“ _Oh my god_ Seven this is …”  
  
She turned to her and wrapped her arms around the girl, Seven slightly taken aback from the sudden change of things but just went with it, returning the hug and patted Sice's back.  
  
“Uh …”  
  
“Thanks Seven. You … kinda made my morning.”  
  
“Sure, no problem.” She released Sice from her embrace and sat up. “Hurry up then. Training should start soon and I know you don't want to miss that.”  
  
“Nope, I won't.”  
  
With a smiling face she stuffed the food from Seven's bag in her mouth, already forgetting why she was tired in the first place. With good food in her stomach she was a happy Sice, ready to kick whatever would come in her way.  
And a happy Sice meant a happy Seven. That would never change. 


	13. Crimson Aura (nsfw) (Orphanage AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the little smut.

They have come far already, slightly shifts under a thin blanket, small pants and scratches that left red lines on the pale skin that told stories from their desperate needs and desires. Gentle hushed whispers of words that were too intimate and private to say them anywhere else filled the room, noises of wet lips against naked sweaty skin, hot from a boiling tickling spark that grew intense in their bellies.   
  
The malice was gentle this time – wild Coeurls which strayed along the orphanage and swept hungry gazes along the playing children saw their death soon under her sharp scythe – glowing in a faint vermillion and embraced the two bodies. They shared their heat with the close skin contact, their breaths as they laid their foreheads together when they weren't able to hold the kiss from panting. Chuckling when the other one suddenly gasps for air.  
  
Sice's hot exhale passed Seven's cheek when the girl on top soothed along her belly, shifting to the side to make room for her hand to travel downwards. Seven leaned on her forearm and hovered over her, smiling in the peck she gave her on the corner of her lips when she reached her trimmed hair. A little shiver ran through Sice when Seven played with it, fingertips gently trailing along the sensitive area and Sice nudged her to get her attention.  
  
Her arms were settled on her back, keeping her as close as possible – the calm aura soothing the malice to keep it at bay.  
  
Sice sighed at the gentle embrace and closed her eyes when Seven smirked down at her, leaning in for a kiss again as she pushed her hand further down and grazed her fingertips along her folds now – Sice moaned in her mouth and tangled her hands in Seven's hair and stroked over it when her moan turned into a chuckle. She made room for Seven's hand and spread her legs, moving her hip in her direction to give her the hint to hurry up now.  
  
Too long they have been playing already and Sice became slightly impatient over this period of time – way too long for her that let her body shaking and shivering from desperation.  
  
But Seven enjoyed it. She drew every single touch out, lingered long at one spot until she continued somewhere else and went back again when she thought she didn't gave the area enough attention already. Her whole body was peppered with kisses and touches; she did not leave one centimeter out and stayed extra long at places where she knew she would drive her mad – her collarbone, her neck, around her breasts, on her bellybutton, the juncture of her hip, her inner thighs …  
  
And yet she didn't touch her on her core before, saving this spot for the end to enjoy it most. Sice let out a long breathy moan when she finally felt Seven's fingers between her folds – and she toyed with them, coaxing her fingers with Sice's slick arousal and drew out even more moans and curses, smiling in her kiss against her throat when she felt Sice's nails digging in her back that definitely left marks later.  
  
Seven winced at the strong force of her hands, but she didn't mind them at all. Seeing her expression change when she moved her fingers further and occasionally circling around her clit was satisfaction enough for her right now to live through this small pain.  
  
Seeing Sice like this was everything she needed right now anyways.  
  
She tilted her head to trail her lips over her temple, feeling the sweat forming on Sice's forehead the longer she moved her fingers against her. A twitched jolted through Sice, accompanied with a heavy gasp as Seven pushed a finger inside her and whispered words right in her ear that were just a haze of her mind.  
  
Sice shuddered at the sudden pleasure, cursing under her breath again when Seven pushed another finger inside her, angling her hand so she could move with Sice's steady rhythm.  
  
A thumb swept over her clit, one, two, three times, circled then around it and left Sice her breath hitching, grabbing at Seven's back of her head to drag her away from her neck to press their lips together.  
  
She wasn't able to let go, not with that spreading heat going from her from head to toe that continued to grow with every passing second, giving her a tingling feeling over her skin. But she had to rip her lips away from her again when Seven increased the pace of her fingers, pushing deeper and faster inside her and hit her sweet spots over and over, giving her no time to think about the sudden sensations.  
  
Her breath hitched again when Seven started to trail her lips along her jawline and Sice threw her head backwards in order to keep her lungs going. Too hot, too sweaty, but Seven didn't stop; she continued faster and harder, cupping Sice's cheek with her free hand and swept a thumb over her lower lip, dry from panting.  
  
“Fu- Fuck, Sev-” Sice's voice cracked and got higher with every moan, shaky when she exhaled and tried to catch her breath. Seven might have started all of this very slow, but the way she continued to increase the speed of her movements overwhelmed Sice a lot, leaving her body in a hazy state of heat and dizziness – exactly what she liked very much so.  
  
Seven loved to watch all of this; she would never get tired of the way Sice clawed at her and yet tried to push her away because her senses were overflowed, craving her touch, but jerking away – how her toes curled whenever she pressed in again with her fingers, making her squirm under her. Her movements were uncontrolled and unconsciously when pleasure overtook her and Seven had to be careful to do what exactly she had in mind – with a trashing Sice under her it wasn't easy to keep that pace going, but she knew it would be over soon when she saw her like that.  
  
Sice couldn't hold this state for long, the white hot pleasure waved through her body without mercy and gave her the wonderful release she craved so much. Throwing her head back she closed her eyes and gripped with one hand the sheets beside her, turning her knuckles white from the force and her body shuddered as she got engulfed by the bubbling heat. A shaky moan left her when she raked her nails down on Seven's back, leaving red streams in the process.  
  
It was like her body flowed from the received pleasure, melting under Seven's touch as she rode out every wave of her orgasm – sore in several places. Seven watched her all the time, only a hair-breath away from her lips as she felt Sice's slick walls clamped around her fingers and almost hindered her movements.  
  
The spectacle only lasted for a few seconds until Sice loosened her hold and Seven immediately stopped her movements, removing her fingers inside her and cuddled up to her. She gave her a kiss on her dry lips and Sice smiled when she pulled away again, sweeping a tongue over her lips to wet them. Her eyes were still closed when Seven pulled her in her arms and stroked over her hair to calm her down – her labored breathing and the heavy thumping of her heart still continued, but the crimson color that engulfed them before faded.

  
The malice that drained her was gone and only left a warm embrace of relief inside her, intensified with the calm aura that surrounded Seven. The feeling of being hold by _her_ brought her enough rest, sighing when Seven kissed her forehead as she snuggled up to her chest.  
  
She swung her arms around her after a while when the strength came back to her, but she still didn't move the rest of her body one bit and enjoyed the silent closeness to her girlfriend. She felt _safe_ and loved; it was the home she always dreamed of and she would never let go of that.  
  
Seven hummed softly as Sice slowly came down from her high – and before she could see it Sice pinned her on her back, immobilizing her with her wrists left and right beside her head and Sice smirked down on her. Her breathing was still a bit heavy, but she took the quiet moment to top Seven – and Seven gasped at the sudden change of Sice's behavior, raising an eyebrow and holding eye contact when Sice leaned down and brushed her lips against her, slow and soft.  
  
“Don't think I won't return the favor.”  
  
“I expected nothing less.” 


	14. Birthday Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Seven!

It was way too early for Sice to get up already, but today she really had no choice no matter what complains her body had. There was no way she would miss this opportunity and ruin the day just because she couldn't get her butt out of the bed.  
  
But Seven's arms around her were so comfy and warm, her back pressed against Seven's front was way too good to let go of that position. Not that often she could feel this – Seven would be long up already until she would even consider setting a foot outside of the bed.  
  
How Sice even managed to wake up before her was a miracle and the moment she opened her eyes she definitely knew she wouldn't do that again so soon.  
  
Sice and the morning were never friends.  
  
Not that she ever wanted that in the first place.  
  
She sighed as she closed her eyes again, snuggling her back against Seven to feel the gentle embrace she got from her – as much as she could in a short time. But she had to rip her eyes open again, because she was so close to fall asleep again and that was no option right now.  
  
_For the love of the Crystals, get your ass up already._  
  
Blinking a few times she tried to shift away from her grasp, slowly but steady until she removed Seven's arms around her and turned around then without shifting the mattress too much, laying them safely in front of her chest. She sighed in relief when she didn't notice any stir coming from her – with a calm face and slightly parted lips Seven continued her peaceful sleep.  
  
Sice smiled at the sight. Now that she saw this she should really get up earlier from time to time – seeing her like this brought back so many memories of what they lived through and what they already achieved in their lives.  
  
They might have had a past no one wished for a child, but that didn't matter to them anymore – they lived here and now in the future they built and would forever be grateful for that. The orphanage was something they dreamed of and they chased to achieve this dream – now it was the home of many who were victims of the past which Sice and Seven were quite responsible for. Having this orphanage was a way to atone for all this – and seeing Seven happy every day when she woke up now was something she would never get tired of.  
  
Seven … another year went past, another year full of happenings and events were stored inside her mind and filled her memories with all kind of happy and beautiful things they saw and experienced – when they were around this many children it wasn't surprising that they had such an eventful life.  
  
She had to get used to this at first. Actually she had never imagined that she would run this orphanage together with Seven – her girlfriend of many years now.  
  
But then again she hadn't imagined anything after the war. How could she when fighting was the only thing she had ever learned.  
  
Seven showed her the way with the children, how she should treat them and what to do in several cases – her first weeks in the orphanage were absolutely catastrophic, but Seven was patient with her, like she always was.  
  
It was only a matter of time until she got a hang of it; she might not be as good as Seven with the children, but at least Seven trusted her now with them to the point where she could take a break once in a while.  
  
Sice shook her head when she started to yawn, rubbing her eyes when she took a last look at her sleeping beauty in front of her. Gently she drew the covers up to her shoulders and slightly patted over her when she climbed out of the bed, almost falling over because of her wobbly legs.  
  
Ah yes, there was something.  
  
_Good morning you too Sice. … I hate mornings_.  
  
With shaking legs she stood in the middle of the room now, biting on her lip to suppress another yawn and searched for a shirt to put on. In the darkness she found one and threw it over her, carefully to avoid knocking anything over and padded out of the room.  
  
With the door closed behind her she scratched the back of her neck, trying to get this sleepiness out of her body.  
  
_Okay focus. You don't have to do much, don't mess this up._  
  
She glanced at a clock while she walked to the kitchen, groaning at the time she saw on it and almost tripped again if she didn't catch herself at the kitchen counter, hitting her little toe at the edge of it.  
  
No, 5am was really not her time.  
  
After she calmed herself down from the intense pain that flooded right through her body from her toe, she took a deep breath and switched on the light, blinking a few times to get used of the sudden light. Now that she could see what she was doing, she searched for the thing she prepared yesterday afternoon already, away from Seven's prying eyes. It would have been a shame if she saw it already – a big layered cake that was so colorful that it almost hurt her eyes, decorated with chocolate crumbles and cherries that were dipped in a rainbow color.  
  
The cake itself was her idea, but a few children helped her decorating it and gave her the idea with the colors. Bright colors were always good and it looked tasty, so why not? Seven would love it, she was sure, and if she hears that it was the kids' idea then it would be even better.  
  
But Sice's wasn't done with it – the main reason why she stood up that early in the first place – she still had to add her personal note to it. Something that the children didn't have to see; it wasn't like they weren't affectionate around each other when others were around, but there were still things that they kept private and that was completely fine.  
  
_Where did I put …_  
  
She swept her eyes back and forth, still not really used to the light of the kitchen, and searched for the last ingredient that would make the cake perfect. Drawer after drawer she opened, looked in every cupboard. Normally she always knew where everything was, but right now in that sleepy state she couldn't remember and it drove her nuts – the kitchen was her territory and if she couldn't find something it was like a personal dilemma.  
  
Clenching her fists she took a step back and eyed all of the kitchen, thinking hard on where the hell she put this. It was important, so she definitely put it somewhere where she could find it easily, but still … it was nowhere to be found.  
  
Somewhere in these drawers it had to be it, maybe she just didn't see it because she was too tired to function right – though she felt her sleepiness washing away at the stress she encountered now.  
  
Knitting her eyebrows together she searched further and further, not knowing how many times she looked in these cupboards already.  
  
“Hey you.”  
  
“Wha-”  
  
… In all this intense search she didn't realize how much time must have passed; she was so caught up in this that she stiffened at the sudden embrace from behind – Seven's gentle arms wrapped around her middle and her chin pressed in her shoulder, nudging her cheek.  
  
Sice sighed and sank back at the gentle touch, but then she remembered that the cake still stood on the kitchen counter and was visible to Seven – oh no, she didn't want to ruin her present and now she-  
  
“Sev-”  
  
“Come back to bed. Where were you.” Seven murmured, “I miss you.”  
  
Oh this sleepy voice did things to her and the way Seven held her even closer and pressed her lips against her shoulder was even more distracting.  
  
“What, Seven what are you doing here?” Sice gasped and tried to wiggled herself out of Seven's arms, because – oh hell no – she didn't want Seven to see this cake right now. But Seven hold her steady, chuckling at Sice's struggle to break free.  
  
“I heard noises and woke up from it. And you weren't there, so...”  
  
“Aw, Seven...” She pouted now, slowly turning around to Seven who looked at her with sleepy eyes. Actually she was a mixture of sad and angry at her right now, because once again one of her surprises got interrupted by her, just because she sneaked up to her. “... But my surprise.”  
  
“I saw it already.” Seven chuckled and laid her forehead on hers. “The kids were also talking about it. But I can pretend I didn't see it.”  
  
“Why does all my surprises end up to be failures.” It was almost a whine now, but Seven patted on her back and gave her a kiss on her pouting mouth.  
  
“Your effort counts. I admire that.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes – it was still early and really want to go to bed again for at least an hour, preferably with Sice cuddled up to her.  
  
“But it's your birthday! I wanted to make at least one-”  
  
“Sice, please come to bed again?” Now Seven was pouting and Sice's breath hitched, leaving her mouth open standing there in her arms.  
  
Damn her and her adorableness.  
  
“Okay. … Okay I will come to bed again. I finish this up and then I will go back to bed.”  
  
Seven smiled and gave her a quick kiss, leaving the kitchen and Sice behind. Now this was Sice's chance to finally get this done – her sleepiness was somewhat gone, at least she felt she could think a bit better now.  
  
“Now … where did I put this ...”  
  
Again she stood in the middle of the kitchen, arms crossed and with a sunken head, deep in her thoughts. She searched the whole kitchen already and it was nowhere to be found and …  
  
_I'm an idiot._  
  
Of course it wasn't in the kitchen, why would she put it in the kitchen anyways. Sure, she usually hid things in here, because no one else figured out her arrangement of the things here and the children weren't allowed to come here. But … this time she didn't hide it in here.  
  
Shuffling her way through the living room she found the place she hid the thing she wanted to add to the cake.  
  
Ah yes, it was in her pocket of her jacket, save from any grabby hands that could steal it. It was very important – probably one of the most important things she ever bought anyways – and there was no way she would mess this up now.  
  
There it was, a little black box that was almost half of the size of her palm. It looked soft and _expensive_ , and yes it definitely was.  
  
The ring in it with a purple and blue gemstone, hand-made was worth every single gil and Sice's heart sped up at the sight of it.  
  
She waited long for this day to come and she felt ready – so damn ready to finally ask her if she wanted her to marry. Many times she teased her about it that she “might have something planned” for that matter and Seven always countered with something similar, and yet neither had taken the step further.  
  
But Sice did now. And she couldn't wait to give her her birthday cake with that box on it.  
  
She chuckled one last time before she placed the box in the middle of the cake and switched off the lights of the kitchen, leaving it behind and returned to the bedroom where Seven already waited for her.  
  
Without another word she snuggled up to her, her heart already thumping hard in her chest of excitement, but when she felt Seven's arms around her again she knew she didn't have to be scared.  
  
Soon she could call Seven her wife and thinking about that it was enough for her to fell the sleepiness coming back again, Seven's low breathing definitely helped with that.  
  
“Happy birthday, Seven.” She murmured when she closed her eyes and Seven gave her a kiss on her forehead, smiling.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
But Sice couldn't stop smiling – oh how she couldn't wait until the morning. This would be the perfect birthday present.  
  



	15. Morning Embrace

Sice was still far in the dreamland when the first rays of the sun crept through the vermillion curtains, engulfing her bedroom in a warm and cozy orange. But she would see this daily spectacle only seldom – with the blanket almost drawn over her face and hugging it close she would definitely take a while until she would even consider opening an eye.  
  
The sun slowly started to rise and they day would begin soon for the society, but Sice rather enjoyed these morning minutes and hours in the situation she was in now – arms and legs drawn to herself and curled up under a thick blanket with her back pressed against her main source of heat and cuddliness. If she could choose one situation she never wanted to miss in her whole life from now, then it was the way she was cuddled up now. She might be sleeping, but her body still noticed the calm embrace coming from the girl behind her than lingered deep within them.  
  
Only when the chirps of the first birds slipped through the open window Sice's body twitched at the sudden noise, curling even more up now because she refused to let the sleep slip away from her grasp. Automatically she grabbed the blanket tight around her, covering her ears with it in order to block out those disturbing noises that ruined the sleep for her.  
  
There was a short exhale at the crown of her neck, moving a few of her strands on the back of her head as she slowly felt the sleep escaping her and reality took place instead.  
  
Sice made a tiny noise in the back of her throat when she removed the blanket from her face, not opening her eyes when she uncurled herself and stretched her sleepy muscles – not moving too much, because she didn't want to leave the position she was in. And the strong arm that was wrapped around her in the middle didn't allowed her to do that anyways.  
  
She yawned when she sank back again, pressing her back even more now against the wonderful heat coming from her with a low growl – she still didn't want the sleep to leave her and wanted to go back again, but deep down she knew she had to let go of it anyways – but that didn't mean she couldn't try to chase it.  
  
There was this exhale against her head again and this time a small shift on the mattress followed – hair began to tickle in her face accompanied by a gentle nudge on her cheek that let her face twitch once again. The moment Sice felt soft warm lips against her the noises in her throat came back and let her form a smile on her lips. She moved her shoulders up to sweep over her face with it, because she wanted to get rid of this tickling feeling in her face – too lazy to use her hands to do that.  
  
A chuckle came as response to her sleepy behavior and Sice instinctively reached out to the hand in front of her that shifted the mattress, covering it with her own. The feel of her soft skin under her digits reminded her that _maybe_ it wasn't all that bad if she opened her eyes now to see the person who watched her through her waking routine every morning.  
  
Sice clasped her hand around hers and and shifted to her back, taking the hand with her to move her a bit away, so she had enough space to stretch once again. But that didn't last long as Sice pushed herself on top of her, earning a little yelp from her because she didn't expect her to move so fast, immediately pressing her face in the cleavage of the girl she loved so much. Their hands were still linked together, laying comfortably right beside them as Sice sneaked her other hand under the girl's arm to hold her close.  
  
She got a quick kiss on her forehead – it wasn't that _Seven_ couldn't reach anything else of her right now in the position she was in anyways – and yawned once again as she felt a soothing hand running over her back.  
  
Yes, now this was way better to fall asleep again.  
  
Seven only chuckled at the sleepy Sice on top of her, knowing exactly that Sice wasn't easy to get out of the bed. But honestly, seeing Sice that way – how she peacefully laid on her, a calm expression with that quiet atmosphere – she wouldn't even consider forcing her to take a step out of the bed.  
  
… Even if it meant she had to stay in bed for a little while longer.


	16. Old Lorica

The old and wet wood creaked under her when she set her foot on it, immediately stopping and wincing at the noise she made. Seven tapped again her foot on the loose wood, checking how much noise it would make if she planned ahead where she would set her foot on next.   
  
Okay, it wasn't that much and now she was sure she wouldn't disturb anyone if she left the wooden barn at this late hour.   
  
The rain had gotten intense over the last few hours and drenched the old wood of the barn – it was very unfortunate because it was the only safe spot they had right now after the long run from the Imperial City of Ingram. That they even found a hiding spot from Milites in such a far-off place was still a little miracle to her, but their feet brought them here all together safe and sound and that was all that mattered right now.   
  
If Rubrum only would answer their desperate calls …  
  
Seven shook her head at that thought. They would try in the morning again, no need to worry now – it was no use anyways.  
  
She took a last look at everyone behind her to check if they were alright, but when she saw that everyone finally found rest on the harsh ground on the barn she knew she could leave. It was an old habit of her – always checking on everyone for the night before she cared about herself. It has been a while since she had done that; it was  _different_  in the dormitories to do that, so she kind of let go of it, but right now it was the perfect opportunity to do it again.  
  
The moment she stepped outside of the barn though she immediately wanted to go inside again. The rain was way more intense than she expected it to be, but going inside again wasn't an option right now – there was no way she would sit inside the house if she wasn't tired at all, not with ten other people sleeping around her.  
  
She was hoping to get her mind off a few things with going outside, so she could finally get her own rest after this long day, but the rain drenched the wood so much she couldn't sit on the little terrace the barn had.   
  
Quickly looking around she saw the little shack right beside the barn and decided to go there instead. It might be small and she had to crouch to find a dry place to sit on, but it was way better than getting wet from head to toe if she decided to sit outside in the open rain. The roof was a bit broken, but it held most of the rain away from her and actually it was a pleasant sound in her ears.   
  
Pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs she listened to the sound of the rain against the metallic roof, enjoying the rhythmic tapping sound.   
  
Yes, this was wonderful now and way better than the sticky old barn.  
  
She laid her chin on top of her knees and she closed her eyes for a while, just living in this moment for once, forgetting why they were all here in the first place – what happened outside of all this, how Rubrum and Milites must be hectic right now from the events that happened yesterday.   
  
They weren't responsible for the death of the Queen of Concordia, but how they should prove it they didn't know. The memories of her were gone and no one could recreate what happened before she got assassinated.  
  
It was like an empty white sheet of paper in Seven's mind and it bugged her that she couldn't remember the Queen at all – it was a bad situation for them, now they had no way to prove their innocence in this. But the Crystals took the memories of the dead for the better; there was no reason for staying in the past and lingering at old memories when you have to move on quickly in your life.   
  
Thinking about the topic of death right now made Seven a bit uneasy. Sure, she often faced death itself – her routine involved killing enemy soldiers and often she saw her comrades falling in battle, but they had the chance to get away from death. Mother always told them they shouldn't care about it and so she didn't.   
  
But two times in a short period of time this came up now, first being the Queen of Concordia and then Machina and his dead brother. The memories of them might me gone now, but with that the problems involving them just didn't vanish out of nowhere.   
  
It was a tumult she couldn't escape right now and thinking about that maybe one day she could lose any of her classmates –   
  
She shook her head and sighed, exhaling in a puff of air as she rubbed over her legs, because the cold rain definitely cooled down the surrounding air by a lot. All this thinking made her a bit restless and if she didn't let go of those thoughts soon she wouldn't get any sleep tonight. And she definitely needed some rest after this day.  
  
With her eyes still closed she listened to the tapping rain against the rooftop again, losing herself in this quietness and calmness.  
  
But a pat on her arm brought her out of her thoughts.   
  
Seven twitched at the sudden contact and backed away a bit, blinking a few times to adjust her eyes again at the darkness of the night. Her heart sped up to get her reflexes going and she removed her arms around her legs to summon almost her weapon – she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't expect any of this.  
  
“Woah there, it's just me.”  
  
She let out a sigh of relief as she saw Sice crouching right beside her, equally drenched from the intense rain that still made no move stopping anytime soon.  
  
“You almost scared me.”  
  
“Ha, by the reaction you made, I think I definitely scared you.”  
  
“Hm.” Seven only smiled when she wrapped her arms again around her legs to let the warmth not escape her, placing her chin on top of it like before. “So, why are you here? I thought you had night watch with Nine.”  
  
“Ah pff.” The girl took a spot right beside her in a similar position and let their shoulders brush together – on purpose of course, because she wanted to steal some of Seven's warmth that radiated from her, “I'm cold and couldn't stand it and  _him_  anymore. As if anyone goes out and searches for us in this weather. He can do it on his own, I don't care.”  
  
Of course Sice would complain about this kind of weather – cold rain was uncomfortable and gross, drenched her clothes and made her shiver; to get warm again she needed too much energy she actually needed for different more useful things, for example the night watch she actually had to do. It was such a waste in her eyes and so she preferred to steal some warmth from someone else instead; good thing her girlfriend sat outside the barn, away from anyone else – that was the perfect opportunity for her to just do that.  
  
Sice glanced at her as Seven didn't give a response, instead she breezed some air in her hands, rubbing them together then to capture the warmth of her breath. Apparently she was getting cold too, and maybe it had also to do with the fact that she was slowly getting sleepy.  
  
“It's … getting really cold, huh.” Sice remarked at the way Seven rubbed over her arms now, getting some warmth from the friction against her clothes. Seven nodded and turned her head to her when she slowly came closer to her, snuggling up to her side, because Seven was still really warm in contrast to her; she always was and Sice loved that very much so – cuddling closer until she would embrace the heat coming from her completely, regardless of where they were in the world. She did it in Akademeia when they were alone for themselves, so why shouldn't they do it when they where somewhere in an abandoned shack.   
  
And of course Seven noticed Sice's cuddly behavior, she even cracked a little smile at it; she knew her all too well that she was about to steal her warmth, even though Sice had never admitted that she ever cuddled for heat, not even at those many times at Akademeia.  
  
Sice was completely turned to her now, laying her head on Seven's shoulder and slowly crept her arms around her middle, absorbing as much heat as she could. But it was such an awkward position that Seven snorted at Sice's attempt to cuddle up to her, kissing the crown of her head as Sice sighed at the new found warmth.  
  
“Come here.” Seven whispered and tucked at Sice's arms around her, making her looking up to see what her girlfriend wanted to do. She held out her arms and stretched her legs, opening up space for Sice to have a better opportunity to cuddle up. Grinning she accepted the invite, sitting herself in Seven's lap.   
  
Her side pressed against Seven's front and her head laid against her shoulder, the older girl's arms safety wrapped around the shivering Sice; she purred as Seven began to stroke over her back and arms to make it better for her.  
  
“There. That's better.” She murmured against Sice's head and got a nod in response, feeling how Sice's shivering got a bit lesser only after a few seconds of this embrace. “When we come back to Akademeia I make you a nice hot chocolate, how does that sound?”  
  
A smile played on Sice's lips when she heard that offer, ducking her head more against her to snuggle up.   
  
“You know how I can make better hot chocolate than anyone else.”  
  
“Right.” Seven chuckled now, knowing exactly that she would lose that argument against her, because there was no denying that Sice was good when it came to anything food related – and to her favorite drink of all times. “But I make you one anyways while you stay in bed and get warm again.”  
  
“Let's see about that.” Sice shifted a bit to stretch out her arms a bit, tucking playfully at Seven's hair to give her more attention – but actually she just wanted to do something with her hands, because she was getting bored.   
  
And she loved playing with Seven's hair anyways.  
  
“So, why are you here instead of in the barn with the others? You were waiting for me here, weren't you?” There was a hint of a laugh in Sice's words as she spoke them, knowing that Seven would definitely do that.  
  
“Actually,” Seven removed Sice's hand from her hair, because it was getting slightly distracting, and took it in her own to warm them, “... Jack was snoring and it was so stuffy in it I couldn't breath anymore. And I wasn't that tired for sleep anyways.”  
  
“Jack is snoring again? I sleep here tonight, oh my god.” She just groaned at the thought, but … it was better to sleep in the cold than to hear Jack snoring and not getting any sleep. A yawn escaped her – now that she knew that it was impossible to sleep inside the barn, sleepiness spread through her body as Seven held her tighter, covering her when cold wind swept over them.   
  
It was just an intimate moment between them; Sice wasn't that much of a cuddly person when their classmates were near, but the given situation just brought them that way and sharing warmth was very appreciated by both right now. And that Seven got to hold the person she treasured the most definitely helped her with getting rid of the thoughts she had earlier before Sice came to her.   
  
The way Sice cuddled up to her made her heart melt and fueled the warmth she needed right now – she never wanted to let go of her, never let her leave her arms, never her side. Never she wanted to forgot her, let the Crystal take the memories from her.   
  
Because she was truly happy when Sice was close to her.  
  
She closed her eyes for a while to lose herself in this close embrace – and Sice must have noticed the slight change of Seven's body language, nudging her with her nose against her jaw to get her attention again.  
  
“Sev?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“... You were thinking about something, weren't you?”  
  
_Of course she would notice._  
  
“You know me too well.”  
  
Sice shifted closer to her to kiss her jaw now instead of only nudging it and Seven smiled at that kiss, leaning closer to her for Sice to reach it better.  
  
“So, what about?”  
  
There was a small pause for Seven to gather her thoughts and order them, not exactly knowing where to start.  
  
“... All those things that happened lately. Machina and his dead brother, the Queen – it brought up this topic of death. And I don't know, it's just sudden and out of no where, it made me think.”  
  
“You know how you don't have to think about this, right? Mother said we shouldn't care about this.”   
  
Seven sighed and nodded, understanding the intention Sice had.  
  
“I know, and that's why I'm glad you are here with me.”  
  
“You are such a sap, you know that?” Sice chuckled and nudged with her hand against Seven's shoulder, poking her to make her laugh – and she even managed it, ending up with a smiling Seven.   
  
Seven knew those thoughts were useless, they would only pain her and bring her no where, maybe even letting her lose focus on the missions they had. They still lingered inside her, but the way Sice was trying to distract her from them let them slowly fade in the back – they had no place in her mind when she was so damn happy to have  _her_  in her arms.  
  
“You know you are one, too.”  
  
“Mh, maybe.”  
  
Both fell in a comfortable silence, just listening to their heartbeats, breaths, and the rain that tapped against the roof. Sice was getting warmer by Seven's rubs over her back and arms any passing minute, making her comfortable to the point she wouldn't be surprised that she would fall asleep soon. Seven was just  _too cuddly_  for her own good – and neither wanted to let the other one go, not in this situation right now.  
  
“I really want to kiss you right now.” Sice whispered, barely understandable with the noise of the rain, and tilted her head closer to herself to let her almost bury her face in the cape around her neck – her cheeks grew red at the sentence she spoke.  
  
“Hm? What?”  
  
“... I said you suck.”  
  
“No no, wait.” Seven chuckled and turned her head down to her, lifting up Sice's head away from her cape to look at her. “I heard something with 'kiss'. So, what was it?”  
  
But Sice didn't answer her – instead she closed the space between them, capturing Seven's lips with her own and earned a sigh from her. They both grew warm from this short period of time they cuddled in this cold rain and the kiss gave them another rush of heat – their cheeks were both in a shade of red when they broke apart again, gazing in each others eyes for a while after that.   
  
They didn't need to speak to know what the other felt – and yet there were hushed whispers of 'I love you's against their lips when they closed the distance again. Some things needed to be told, even if the other already knew it with their heart.  
  
They stayed outside this night in a deep embrace, falling asleep against each other in a rather comfortable position, because they weren't unable to let go – and neither wanted to return to the barn anyways and rather enjoyed the fresh cold night air outside now that they were warm enough to do so.  
  
And of course Sice got the hot chocolate from Seven the next day when they returned to Akademeia, complaining how much better she would make this on her own. 


	17. The Jar

Seven sighed when she put the jar down on the kitchen counter and took a few steps back, crossing her arms over her chest and tapped a finger on it. It was just a small jar, fitting perfectly in the palm of her hand in order to get it open easily. And yet …  
  
Uncrossing her arms she put it up again, holding on to the glass with one hand while the other held it steady on the lid, putting so much energy against it that the cap should give in, maybe even break by the sheer force of it.  
  
It should be, but it didn't.  
  
She tried it again, this time she held the glass close to her body and wrapped her arm around it, holding it with the inside of her elbow, and clenched her palm of her hand over the lid, biting herself on the lip as she put as much energy in it as possible.  
  
… But it still didn't move one centimeter, no matter how many times she tried it.  
  
Twitching her lips she put it down again, scratching her head as Sice entered the kitchen, still in her pajamas and with a sleepy expression on her face.  
  
“Morning.” She yawned and hugged Seven from behind, laying her chin on top of her shoulder when Seven greeted her in return. “What are you up to?”  
  
Seven sighed again and laid her hands on top of Sice's on her stomach, leaning herself more against her as she pointed with her head to the jar on the kitchen counter.  
  
“This thing.”  
  
“The jar?” Sice unwrapped herself from her and walked over to it to take it in her hand. “Don't tell me you don't get open _a jar_.”  
  
She had an amused expression on her face when she examined the jar and leaned herself comfortably against the counter; Seven only crossed her arms again to watch Sice getting to work with that.  
  
Only after a few seconds of trying Seven could see Sice's change of expression – her sleepy features were suddenly gone and got replaced by a stern look and concentration; her arms muscles clenched at the force she put into the jar.  
  
Seven raised amused an eyebrow as Sice started to show first signs of weaknesses; her arms began to shake, she bit herself on the lip, and her features turned into a look of anger and rage.  
  
There only was an awkward silence in the room – except for the squeezing of Sice's hands against the jar – when Seven tried to hold back a chuckle at this whole situation. The way how Sice was focused on this jar was to her a mixture of hilarity and concern; she knew Sice would give everything to try to get this jar open with her bare hands and until she would admit that _maybe_ she couldn't do it without any tools or help, a lot of time must have passed before she would even consider this.  
  
“You know, I could get you-”  
  
“No, I _got this_.”  
  
Seven threw her arms in the air and turned away from her, knowing it would be useless to get this in her head now. She still had other things to prepare for the morning and this jar already cost her too much time anyways.  
  
Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek while Sice was still desperately focused on the jar she left the kitchen, leaving her alone for the time being.  
  
Only minutes after she left there were several noises of groaning coming from the kitchen and Seven turned her head to the source of Sice's curses, only shrugging and chuckling at it as she continued her work in the living room.  
  
Another minute must have passed until there was another curse coming from the kitchen, but this time Seven checked on Sice – she was getting too concerned now because she didn't want Sice to get that angry because of it, but from the noises she made she definitely was.  
  
“Sice?” Seven poked her head out of the corner and saw her with arms crossed and a tapping foot, eying the jar that stood on the counter once again – as if Sice was silently judging it.  
  
“Okay, you won't withstand this.” She held out her arm to the side and in a flash her scythe materialized in her hand – Seven gaped and blinked at the sight, entering the kitchen again with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“Sice, what are you-”  
  
“Wait and see.”  
  
She held her scythe close to the blade, taking the jar in the other hand and examined the lid closer than before.  
  
“Okay this should work.”  
  
Shifting the scythe in her hand she lifted the jar up to the tip of her scythe, angling it a bit until it latched into place. Seven could only stare in disbelieve and she opened her mouth to say something – _anything_ , but then there was a plop through the whole room and it was all over now.  
  
Sice dematerialized her weapon again and proudly held the jar in her hand, having the glass in one hand and the lid in the other.  
  
“Ha I knew it.” Her smirk was too bright on her face and Seven still couldn't believe what she just saw.  
  
“You … You did not just used your scythe to open _a jar_.”  
  
“Yes, yes I did.” Sice handed her the jar and Seven only stared at the content in it, blinking as she slowly realized what just happened. “There you go.”  
  
“Wow.”  
  
She put the jar on the counter before she wrapped her arms around Sice's middle to pull her into a close hug, taking a deep breath before she broke out in a laughter.  
  
“You know how I do anything for you. … Even if I have to open a damn jar with my scythe.”  
  
“Thank you.” Seven gave her a kiss on the lips while both of them had a smile on their faces.  
  
Now that was a way to start in the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine your OTP both struggling to open a jar.


	18. Birthday Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Sice!

The first thing she noticed when she came back to her senses after a long deep sleep was a low breathing against her neck. A calm gentle exhale, rhythmic and steady, passing against her skin and she only twitched her eyes at the feeling of that. Inside her throat built a tiny noise, a low growl, as she tilted her head to the source of the breathing, bumping her forehead against … something and earned a small chuckle from the person who lied right beside her.  
  
She still had her eyes closed when she sighed as smooth fingertips ran through her hair, extending her own arms now to reach out to  _her_. She found the body she was searching for and shifted closer, snuggling up to that beautiful source of heat she longed for.  
  
Yes, now this was perfect.  
  
Soft wet lips were placed on her temple when she buried her head close to her, hearing her snorting as a high pitched growl escaped her again.  
  
“Sice.” Seven spoke in a melodic way, almost like a whisper against her as she pressed down another kiss in front of her ear. “Sice, wake up.”  
  
“Hngh.”  
  
But Sice only lifted her shoulder up at the sensation of that kiss which let a shiver run down her spine at the tingling feeling it gave her and clutched at Seven's back even harder now.  
  
Though Seven didn't miss the grin on her face.  
  
Wake up calls were always something else in the morning, sometimes it was easy to get Sice to open her eyes, sometimes not. Even if it took a while to get her out of the bed, Seven loved every single minute of it. She would never let go of that sight, nor would she forgive herself if she didn't see it in the morning. It was like a little ritual for them now and Sice honestly couldn't complain about that – even if she rather wanted to stay in bed until noon.  
  
Seven leaned down again to her and placed her lips on her temple again. But this time Sice tilted her head and reached her hands to Seven's face, cupping her cheeks and bringing her down to her own lips, sighing at the feeling of her lips against her. It was slow and gentle – she was still sleepy and embraced the movements against her lips, still not opening her eyes for that.  
  
It was longer than intended, neither could stop in this hazy state that still was cloudy from sleep. Seven pushed her down on her back again, topping her to deepen the kiss. Both smiled when they finally broke apart then, taking a deep breath from the kiss – Seven hovered over her and run a thumb over Sice's lower lip, stroking over a little mark there.   
  
A leftover from yesterday night, probably.  
  
It was then when Sice opened her eyes now, finally looking at her with half-lidded eyes. Though she blinked a few times, hoping to get rid of the haziness, but she didn't succeed with that. Instead she rubbed her eyes now with the back of her hand and Seven only chuckled at this adorable sight.  
  
“Good morning.”  
  
“Mmh, morning.” Sice sighed when she finished rubbing her eyes and laid her hands on Seven's neck. “... What time is it.”  
  
Seven glanced on the clock standing on the night table beside them. “Hmm, 8.”  
  
“Whaa- Seven.” Sice whined. In an instant she grabbed the blanket lying on Seven's back and threw it over them, covering her face with it and Seven on top of her. “Noo. Why do you wake me up at 8 in the morning.”  
  
Seven shuffled under the blanket to remove it at least from their heads and chuckled when she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders to her face her then, but Sice had already thrown an arm over her face to block out the early rays of the sun.  
  
It didn't stop Seven from kissing her.  
  
“Happy birthday.”  
  
Only a growl combined with a smirk came as response and Sice removed her arm to look at her.  
  
“You remembered.”  
  
“Of course I did. What kind of person am I when I forget the birthday of my girlfriend.”  
  
Now Sice took a deep breath and chuckled too, pulling her close so Seven could lie her head comfortably on her shoulder. The sleepiness still lingered in her, but it slowly faded at the way Seven stroked with her thumb over her cheek and nudged her.  
  
This was way too good to fall asleep again.  
  
“You're a sap.”  
  
“Hmm maybe I am.” Seven smiled. “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Mmh. I still feel like I have tons of ash in my hair and dragon scales everywhere, but …” Sice stretched herself a bit and sighed then with a grin, turning to her, “... let's just say the malice won't bother me for a while thanks to you. I feel good.”  
  
“Wonderful.”  
  
Ah, the malice.  
  
They came home late yesterday. The mission took them longer than they planned at first, but the dragons from the Concordian Army were in such great number it was almost impossible for Class Zero to break through their lines with that heavy assault they got confronted with. Sice and Seven were on separated teams for the ultimate capture of Mahamayuri and thus the defeat of the Kingdom of Concordia.   
  
Seven only heard over the COMM that the malice of her girlfriend got out of control, that she was downright maniac in her fighting, but in the end it was Sice who slaughtered the most dragons thanks to the strength boost she got from the malice – and brought the victory for Rubrum.  
  
Their sleeping time was cut short because of the intense glowing aura. There was no way she was able to sleep like that, and so … special measures had to take in before Sice could head to sleep, resulting in nightly activities that definitely left some marks.  
  
They laughed later when Sice commented on how Cater will be so mad at them the next day, because they – once again – stole her sleep.  
  
Seven was glad that Sice was in her usual state again, because yesterday she was honestly alarmed and concerned. But deep down she knew Sice could handle this heavy gift – at least until they were alone and had time for themselves.  
  
In the end it brought them the victory they needed in this war and that is all what mattered. Mother was proud of them and they succeeded, there was nothing to worry about.  
  
A few minutes must have passed, they couldn't tell how much – too focused on just lying beside each other after a stressful mission was exactly what they needed right now, just enjoying their time together. The day after a mission was always free for a cadet for them to recover – what a perfect coincidence that Sice had birthday today. There was no rush in anything today, they didn't have to do anything anyways.  
  
Seven pressed her lips against Sice's ear before she lifted herself up and sat on top of her now, stretching a bit before she placed both hands left and right on Sice's shoulders. The girl only raised an eyebrow at Seven's sudden movements, curious what Seven wanted to do, and settled her hands on Seven's hip.  
  
“You know, after yesterday I think you have earned your present even more now.”  
  
“A present?”  
  
“Yes, a present. It's your birthday after all.”  
  
Sice's eyes widened at the mention of a gift – it was seldom that they got anything for free, so gifts were rare for them. And a special present from her girlfriend? That could only be good.  
  
The girl on top leaned across the bed to the night stand, having to stretch a lot in order to reach it without leaving her spot on top of Sice. She was close with her hands on the drawer where the present lied in, but before she could get her hands on it Sice grabbed her midsection and pressed her head against it … which made Seven fall down the moment Sice laid her lips on the revealed skin.   
  
She yelped as she placed her hands on the ground in order to stop her upper body from falling off the bed and sighed when she landed safe, only to hear Sice laughing under her. She was way too amused by that – Seven's weak spots always worked.  
  
“Couldn't resist.”   
  
“Of course. Little minx.”  
  
Crawling up again Seven grabbed the handle of the drawer now and pushed it open, skimming through it a bit until she found the object she was looking for. She returned to her previous position, but this time she had her hands formed into a ball with the object inside it.  
  
Sice looked at her with anticipation and still smiled from her laughter a few seconds ago. But her curiosity was too strong. She wanted to know what Seven had in her hands and that she drew it out so long made her impatient.  
  
“Not sure if you have earned that after you almost let me fall down off the bed, you dork.”  
  
“Aw come on Seven.” Sice grinned and sat up now, shifting a bit so Seven could sit in her lap comfortably. Her arms were wrapped around her middle again to hold her close and a little pout on her face she kissed Seven's hands. “Please?”   
  
“Only because I love you.” Seven chuckled at the quivering lip on Sice's face and gave her a quick kiss to turn her into smiling again. “There you go.”  
  
She opened her hands and Sice's eyes widened at the object that was revealed. A necklace lied in her hands, small and with a little golden Vermillion Bird as pendant that shimmered red in the sunlight that shined through their curtains. Seven held it out in front of her face for Sice to inspect it and she still looked at it with curious eyes.  
  
“A necklace?”  
  
“Not any necklace. A special one.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
She reached around her to put it on, tracing along the chains when she leaned back again to look at her. A faint silvery aura began to form around Sice's body and the girl only lifted her hands up in order to look at them. She played a bit with her fingers to get used to that special aura and then it clicked.  
  
“It grants Protect?”  
  
The older girl nodded and Sice formed a smirk on her face.  
  
“Yes. You will always have Protect on you when you put it on. … That way you don't have to worry anymore should I not be on mission with you.”  
  
“Oh Seven. That is  _awesome.”_ Sice pulled her in a hug and nuzzled her face against Seven's shoulder. “Where did you get that?”  
  
“Hmm. That's a secret.”  
  
“You won't even tell it me?”  
  
“I can't, Sice.” Seven patted her on her back and nudged her. “Mother told me it's still a prototype. You are the first one to try it out.”  
  
“That special huh?”  
  
Sice released her from her hug and bumped her with her nose, slowly leaning in to her to capture her lips once again. Sice pressed down on her hard and Seven tried to hold against it, but before she knew it she was lying on her back with Sice on top of her, lips on her that stole her breath.   
  
“Very special. You are special” was the only thing Seven could form in-between their kiss before Sice pressed in again, both getting very deep and lost in the sensation of the contact.   
  
But it was Seven who broke the kiss and put her hand on Sice's chest to keep her from leaning down again. She only looked puzzled at her with hazy eyes as she couldn't reach Seven anymore, but Seven brushed a thumb over her cheek to get her attention again.  
  
“We should do that one later, don't you think.”   
  
“Shouldn't I be the one deciding what we should do today? Since it's my birthday after all.”  
  
“Hm yeah, but I still have another present.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
Seven sat up and pushed Sice with her up, returning to the previous position they were in before that.  
  
“Yes really. A special arranged breakfast just for you.”  
  
“Whaa-” Sice only gaped at the mention of breakfast, not even noticing all the grumbling of her stomach. Breakfast was good, food was good, and if it even was especially only for her, then it could only be good.   
  
“Do you want to check it out? I'm definitely sure there will be some of your favorite food there.”  
  
Sice immediately shuffled herself out of the bed and stood up, reaching out an arm for Seven to grab so she could join her. She still was a bit wobbly on her feet, but food got her always out of the bed no matter what. Seven grabbed her hand and stumbled to her, taking the lead when she opened the door.   
  
“Do you think they have hot chocolate there.” Sice said when she fumbled on the necklace to remove it, not wanting to walk around with an active Protect spell when they want to go to breakfast.   
  
“You will see.” Seven grinned and took her hand after Sice placed the necklace on the night stand. “Let's go.”  
  
They rushed out of the door into the hallway, not even bothered by any looks they got. It was Sice's special day and they definitely wanted to spend it the way they wanted to without anyone saying anthing against it.   
  
A day were they had their minds off from the things that happened outside and nothing could take that away from them today.


	19. Too much heat

They didn't know how they ended up the way they were in now, but they definitely didn't complain or care.  
  
Pressed with her back against the cold brick wall in the garden behind Classroom 0 with her back, Seven stared deep in the intense blue eyes from Sice that never left their focus even a bit.

 

There was no escape in the way Sice had her knee pushed between her thighs, linked one hand together and pressed the back of that hand against the wall, and with the other one she cupped Seven's cheek – her thumb close to her parted lips. Seven dug her nails deep in the fabric of Sice's uniform on her back when the thumb trailed first over her upper lip and then down, brushing over the sensitive skin that let Seven snap that finger up, but barely missing her because Sice immediately flinched away at the sudden motion.  
  
Though it was playfully, like a little game they played to see who would first lose control over the situation and drag the other one in their room. So Sice knew Seven wouldn't bite her, at least not now.  
  
Seven's hand loosened from the hard grip at her back and moved up then, trailing across her sides before she reached around and played with the cape she had wrapped around her neck, slightly tucking at the red fabric there to pull her even closer than she already was. In a motion Sice got closer, removing her hand from her cheek as she laid her forehead against hers, still not losing the eye contact they held all the time.  
  
Their staring was intense, too intense – both had crimson colored cheeks that spoke from the heat inside them that just wanted to to boil over. It built up in such a short time that both wanted to draw it out as long as possible – hoping to see the other one losing control first.  
  
Seven tucked once again on her cape before she grazed further up her neck, extending a finger to trail across her throat up to her chin and moved it to her for her liking. And Sice got the hint and moved with the motion of the finger under her chin, now only a hair breath away from Seven's lips which just begged to be captured.  
  
Yet Sice didn't what Seven definitely wanted her to do – again, it was a game they were playing with each other and Sice didn't want to give in that easily.  
  
Seven inhaled shakily at Sice's hesitation, her heart jumping in her chest at the intense heat inside her, knowing that it was definitely a reflection of what Sice was going through as well.  
  
She couldn't stand it anymore. Her breathing was too shaky and she was pretty sure it would only take a tiny bit to break her armor that kept her from boiling over and giving in to Sice's touch.  
  
But it was unbearable, she _needed_ this.  
  
“Kiss me.”  
  
The faint whisper passed Sice's lips in a rush, tickling her senses that she couldn't hold in a growl anymore. Sice took one last deep inhale before she parted her lips and slowly leaned in to capture Seven's lips. Seven was sure she saw a hint of a smirk before they landed fully on her. A tiny high pitched noise escaped her as Sice moved her lips and pressed herself completely against her, bumping their noses together as they deepened the kiss.  
  
Their linked hands first grabbed each other tighter, but only after seconds Sice let lose of it in order to lay it on Seven's rear to slightly lift her up. She groaned at the grip, not keeping herself from grazing her teeth over Sice's lips, only nibbling at them instead of biting. But Sice knew it was only a matter of time until that would happen, she was sure.  
  
With half lidded eyes they looked at each other as their lips moved against them, their breaths passing over their cheeks that only grew hotter and hotter with each heartbeat. But for Sice it was still not enough, she wanted Seven to melt under her and she was so close to get her to just do that.  
  
Slowly she pressed her knee upwards and stronger against her, reaching towards her core. And as soon as Seven realized Sice was doing it was too late for her already.  
  
A tiny moan passed over her lips as Sice rubbed against her, sending little sparks through her body that let her twitch and shiver. Sice couldn't keep herself from grinning as Seven slowed down the kiss to breathe properly, grasping both of her hands on Sice's shoulder blades as she gave in to the feeling and moved on her own now on Sice's thigh.  
  
She had to close her eyes as a moan slipped through, completely interrupting the kiss now and Sice only backed away a bit in order to watch this spectacle she formed.  
  
But it only lasted for a few seconds. Seven opened her eyes again and looked at her with an intense lust that Sice had to hold her breath at the sight – she stopped moving her hips and bit her lips before she went on with her next step. Before Sice even realized what was happening Seven grabbed her by the cape and pushed her to her, flipping her around so their roles were now reversed – with Sice pressed against the wall now and Seven pressing her hands against the cold bricks left and right beside her head.  
  
She stared down at her with labored breathing that definitely came from the way she rode Sice's thigh just seconds ago.  
  
“Your room or mine?”  
  
Sice gave her a smirk as an answer and nudged her with her nose, slightly brushing her lips over hers.  
  
“Does that mean I won?”  
  
The girl sighed at the gentle contact, wanting nothing more than just to give in to that feeling – but not here where they could get caught any minute.  
  
“If that makes you happy.”  
  
“Oh it does.”  
  
Their eyes met once again and Sice used it to her advantage to give her a quick kiss, noticing how Seven loosened the tight grip on her for Sice to take her hands, shifting so she could remove herself from the wall.  
  
She tucked on Seven's hand for her to follow and they both rushed inside the building, continuing their little game inside safe halls.

 

 


	20. Good Morning (nsfw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow morning smut.

To say she expected to wake up like this would be a lie. Seven _did_ expect waking up with a familiar weight on her though, she was used to it after all this time, but not … like this.  
  
She twitched her eyes and let out a low growl when she felt the weight on top of her shifting, a gentle breeze swept across the skin on her throat before soft lips landed on there, lingering long on that place before a tongue trailed over the sensitive skin and went further down. A hand cupped her cheek and a thumb brushed over her reddened skin from the sudden sensation she wasn't used in this early hour.  
  
Seven could hear her chuckle when she tilted her head in the hand's direction, nudging the hand with her nose and eventually kissing the palm before she returned to her previous position to embrace the kisses coming from her on her throat.  
  
She didn't even bother to open her eyes to know what was going on, and honestly she wasn't complaining. Her mind was still too hazy from sleep, her body was still too tired to catch on, but this was exactly what _Sice_ was going for – gentle touches here and there, soft kisses on places where she knew Seven would have problems to go on sleeping and yet wouldn't be bothered to wake up from.  
  
Sice wanted to watch her catching on, seeing the lazy movements coming from her when she was actually the one who was always _oh so in charge_. But not today, today was Sice's turn and she didn't want to miss this – too many times she felt guilty about her needs when the gift of the malice on her shoulders was too heavy for her to carry and Seven stepped in to make it better for her. Sice knew Seven didn't have a problem with this, but still … still she felt like she needed to make it up to her and return the pleasure with the focus only on her.  
  
Seven let out a shaky breath when Sice grazed her fingertip of her pointer across her throat down to her chest, barely touching it in the process, but enough to let goosebumps appear. It was the moment Seven reached out to her with one arm to embrace her on top and ran a hand over her back to feel more of her, rubbing her eyes with her other hand to get her drowsiness out of her eyes.  
  
Sice shifted closer when Seven blinked a few times to adjust her sight, kissing her on her lips then when she opened her eyes for the first time, only to immediately close them again when Sice sneaked out a tongue to deepen the kiss. She didn't give her a pause with the way she moved against her, and it didn't help either that Sice decided to move a hand under her shirt. First only trailing along her skin of her stomach and ribs, getting a sharp inhale from her which almost broke the kiss, then moving upwards to cup one of her breasts.  
  
Tiny sounds of pleasure formed in her throat with the way Sice was running her hands across her body, worshiping it in the gentlest way. She was slowly catching on and broke the kiss then with a gasp as Sice swept a thumb over her nipple, forming a smile on her face as she tried to capture her lips once again. But Sice only chuckled at the reaction, nudging her with her nose against her cheek as Seven let her head fall back in order to breath properly.  
  
It was getting a bit hot under the blanket with Sice on top of her and her senses were still not fully awake now, but she didn't mind this at all – not with the gentle and slow touching and caressing that was perfect in this situation.  
  
“Good morning.” Sice whispered against her ear when she stroked across her belly again, feeling her twitch under the soft touch. Seven only hummed as response, gliding her fingers through Sice's hair as she nibbled on her ear, letting her run down a shiver on her back.  
  
Seven was enjoying this so far very much so – just laying back and feeling the way Sice slowly took advantage of her lazy morning senses, driving her crazy with every stroke she made. There was no rush in the moves she made, they had all morning. Everything was just more calm and serene – this slow pace fit perfectly in the mood, letting Seven linger a little bit longer in the dreamland she was coming from.  
  
While Sice was usually a bit more fast paced and rough, she had her moments of gentleness – her hand was close to dangerous areas now, but she only brushed over the fabric of Seven's pants on her hips, though the small twitch didn't go unnoticed.  
  
She only smiled at the change of Seven's behavior once she reached her sensitive spots – the slightly squirming under her touch when she ran a finger over her hip bones, deep breathing when Sice moved her shirt up to kiss on her stomach now and trailed various kisses over her whole chest.  
  
Heat was boiling inside her step by step, growing intense with every little touch Sice made on special places on her body, though Seven was sure the intensity was a result of the slow pace Sice exhibited. Low moans escaped her now, her heart was beating fast in her chest as Sice continued the small strokes over her panties, drawing out every little twitch and gasp as she did so.  
  
“Sice.” Seven whined and tucked on Sice's hair to get her attention, cupping her with both hands when she looked up to her. Sice could see the fire in her half-lidded eyes, knowing that she wanted her to take the next step as soon as possible.  
  
Of course Sice would grant her wish, but that didn't mean she would give up her whole concept of all this. She did it slow and steady, carefully removing her panties to get access to the spot Seven wanted her the most. Yet again her moves were without any haste, fingers moving along her folds in a gentleness that let her even more squirm.  
  
Seven held her tight on her head, keeping her close to her lips to occasionally kiss her, moaning in the kiss when Sice hit spots that let her heat boil immense. Though she smiled as Sice picked up the speed a bit, only to slow down again after a few seconds to keep her arouse going.  
  
Oh Sice loved this – having control over this whole situation and see her girlfriend at her mercy that was all her fault.  
  
Her flexible fingers played deep in her folds and Seven had to rip her lips away from the kiss as she insert a second finger inside her, holding her breath from the sudden rush she got from the sensation. She was shaking and her hands clawed hard on Sice's shoulder blades – pretty sure it left red marks later.  
  
Sice snorted at the reaction, watching her intensely as she circled with a bit pressure inside her on the sensitive spot there.  
  
“Don't forget to breathe.” She whispered as she hit the spot hard again and leaned forward to brush over her lips to get her attention. And Seven released the deep breath she held, exhaling through her nose while she bit on her lip – probably from the next rush of heat that occurred because of Sice's magic hands. “There you go. Good girl.”  
  
Her walls got slicker with every circle she did, she could feel that the end was coming closer if she continued that. And seeing Seven being so deep in the haze it was clear that she would draw out her climax in that pace.  
  
Only a few more minutes later and Sice couldn't thrust her fingers inside her anymore from the contradiction of her muscles. Seven bit on Sice's lip accidentally when the pent up heat inside her burst finally – and gave her the release she needed. Her fingernails definitely left red lines on her back as the waves of her climax tingled her from head to toe. A soft sigh left her and with that her tight grip on Sice stopped.  
  
Seven opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of Sice smiling down on her, caressing her cheek with the hand that wasn't so busy before.  
  
“Good morning you too.” She chuckled out of breath and threw an arm over her eyes and Sice pulled her close to her as she laid herself beside her, grinning like it was a victory.  
  
They would lie there for a while until Seven decided to turn the tables, smiling down on a wide-eyed Sice.  
  
And she would do it slower, way slower.  
  
They had all morning anyways.  
  



	21. Intimate Show (nsfw)

Sice didn't know where to look first at the show she got right now. With her back pressed against the headboard she had the best view to take everything in. Her hands were clenched in the sheets all the time, avoiding herself from reaching out to _her._ When she did she knew little goosebumps would appear on her skin and maybe she would lose her focus on what she did. But it was tempting, it was just so easy to reach out to her and stroke over her flexing thighs left and right of her hip, the muscles of her legs strained by the way she rode the strap-on Sice wore.  
  
She parted her lips as she let loose of the sheets with one hand to stroke across her thigh, traveling further so she could lie her hand on her lower back then, moving with every thrust she made. A smile played on her lips as she felt a shudder against her, a small gasp coming from Seven that resulted in a little twitch from head to toe.  
  
Her skin was always sensitive in this act, sometimes even too sensitive that Sice could feel the muscles twitching under her fingers no matter where she touched her.  
  
And yet she would lie if she didn't enjoy feeling that.  
  
Her eyes traveled from her chest to her face when Seven let go from her tight grip at the headboard and laid her arms around Sice's neck; with her eyes half-lidded and parted lips her hips bucked once again against her, shuddering as she came down to her over and over. More and more sweat formed on her chest with every passing minute, with each trust the heat inside her belly grew rapidly and formed a blush on her face – she should have been embarrassed by the show she gave Sice, but this embarrassment was quickly overshadowed by the intense pleasure she received.  
  
Seven nuzzled her cheek against her, sighing softly in Sice's ear. And Sice returned the closeness Seven approached, letting loose of the sheets completely to run her hands up and down her back now, trailing goosebumps along the way – Seven only reacted in more shuddering and a moan slipped through. Her senses were too sensible, even only single touches brought her more and more to the edge.  
  
“Seven.” Sice whispered as another moan escaped her, nudging her with her nose to let her see her face. And Seven breathed hard as she laid her forehead against her, their noses touching as she continued to thrust her hips once again.  
  
Her eyes were closed now, focusing on the pleasure she received as she took full advantage of the length of the dildo, though Sice reached around now and cupped her cheek with one hand, stroking her thumb over her reddened skin from the blush she had down to her lips. Seven looked up to her then, smiling softly as she sighed in the gentle touch, biting carefully on her thumb that was still running up and down her lower lip – Sice chuckled at the little bite, removing her hand to lay it on her back again to slowly capture her lips with her own, sneaking her tongue out to deepen the kiss.  
  
Though the kiss didn't last long. Another moan broke through and Sice pulled away a little, holding her on her hips to watch her taking it in. From the way her moans and shudders got more and more with each thrust, Sice could tell she was close. Her movements got more uncontrolled, her legs were shaking – a marvelous sight only she could see.  
  
But Sice had still something up in her sleeve and it would be the perfect opportunity to do that right now. In an instant she bucked her hips and Seven was met in an incredible warmth – her face twisted in pleasure and her jaw caught open on a high pitched moan.  
  
“Oh _fuck_.”  
  
Sice's smirk was too bright, too amused by the reaction she got from her.  
  
“Again?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
A shallow breath left Seven as she slowed down her movements, finding a rhythm that would match her perfectly with Sice's thrusting motions. And Sice supported her with her hands on her lower back, moving them with her to emphasis it more. Her grin never vanished on her face, the moans she received fueled her own warmth.  
  
She never left her eyes on her, watching her intense as she came down on her more and more, though Seven had her eyes closed until she was met in a sharp moan again. Their gazes met and Sice could see the pleasure behind her purple eyes, the grip on her shoulder was almost painful as she thrust her hips again.  
  
“Sice …” Her voice was shaky and shallow, digging her chin down as she closed her eyes again. A sign for Sice that it was almost over.  
  
Sice reached out to her to run a hand through her hair and Seven bent down to her, nuzzling her cheek as a wave of moans hit her, only for Sice to sooth over her, kissing her temples.  
  
“ _Ah._ ”  
  
Seven's rhythm got unstable, Sice had problems to follow her, but she tried to match her with all she had – she got rewarded with a sharp cry, Seven's legs quivered and she couldn't hold them anymore as the heat in her belly flooded through her body, reaching from head to toe. Thrusting got hard with her clenching inner walls, but Sice rode out her climax that took place, keeping it as long as she could. Seven's nails dug deep in her back as she tried to hold herself, leaving red marks that definitely were visible later.  
  
A last cry escaped her, the last rush of heat died down as she fell down on Sice, breathing hard and labored as she nuzzled against Sice's neck, but was welcomed by a soft humming from Sice who still ran her hand through her tousled silver strands.  
  
The dildo slipped out, Sice removed it, so Seven could lie on top of her comfortably, bringing her in a calm embrace then. Kisses got exchanged and Sice chuckled at Seven's attempt to hold a kiss for long, her exhaustion still running deep in her bones.  
  
They would lie there for quite a while until they would move again. But for now, Sice only listened to Seven's breathing against her.

 

 


	22. "Sice, no!"

Sice had a bright grin on her face when she entered the bedroom, finding Seven there comfortably sitting on the bed against the headboard with a book in her hands. From the looks of it she seemed tired, but even after a stressful day in the orphanage she wouldn’t dismiss the chance to read without any disturbance. And Sice would usually leave her alone and just snug up to her until she would put the book away, but today she had a different idea.

“Hey Seven.”  
  
Seven took a quick glance at her as she heard her name and seeing this big grin on her face let her alarm bells ring immediately. Sure, Sice grinned often to her, but this toothy grin right here could only mean one thing: she had either a blatant stupid or brilliant thought - and she would tell her this in the next minute.  
  
Seven still had her eyes on her when Sice crawled up the bed, her book still open when she put it beside her to embrace her girlfriend sitting on top of her now. Curious she raised an eyebrow with an interested smile as Sice wrapped her arms around her neck and made herself comfortable in her lap, never stopping the grinning.  
  
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this.”  
  
“Ah, but you shouldn’t have.” Sice responded “I finally got a letter from Mahamayuri.”  
  
Seven’s eyes widened. “You can finally go to Concordia and take a course there?”  
  
“Yep, I can expand my cooking skills. Finally! And when I’m back I can cook you some special Soryuan meals. I’m sure the kids will love it, too.”  
  
Sice was looking forward to this for quite a while now and Seven could feel her happiness, she was happy for her too, of course. Sice loved cooking and learning more. And yet …  
  
“But … I feel like there is more?”  
  
“Hmm yeah.” Sice put on a thoughtful look. “You know how Concordia is good with monsters and pets, right? Well.”  
  
Seven raised her eyebrow again at the vague stumbling. “Sice?”  
  
“I thought about … bringing one home? Maybe … a Concordian Chocobo?”  
  
“… Wait, what is a Concordian Chocobo?” Seven tilted her head. Concordia doesn’t have Chocobos as far as she knew, this was a Rubrum thing after all.  
  
“It doesn’t have feathers for starters.”  
  
Silence.  
  
Sice had to hide her laughter at Seven’s expression, seeing in her eyes how the gears in her head are turning. With a gasp Seven broke the silence.  
  
“You mean a dragon. A pet dragon from Concordia.”  
  
“Yes, a dragon. A small tiny dragon that can sit on your shoulder and scare away intruders and-”  
  
“… Sice.”  
  
“Oh the kids will love this one. Who in Rubrum can say they have a dragon? And we will never have any problems with nearby monster, because-”  
  
“Sice, wait. Wait what? Are you even listening to yourself?”  
  
“Yeah, I want a dragon.”  
  
“That’s-. Sice!” Sice was still sitting on top of her and broke out in a heavy giggle when she saw the horror in Seven’s face. “Please don’t argue with me over that one. Do you know how to even raise one? And the food and … the kids? What about-”  
  
“Seven.” Sice leaned down to her as her words got more stumbled and faster, her fear in her eyes rushing through her. She held her face with both hands, locking eyes with her with a giggle. “I’m joking with you. Ssh.”  
  
With a sigh Seven leaned back and slapped her forehead, relief filling her body as Sice laid her head again her shoulder. “You can’t just do this to me, you dork.”  
  
“Heh. But … you still can’t do anything should I really bring one, right?”  
  
“…Sice. Please.”  
  
“Sorry. But you’re too cute when you can’t say no.” She gave her a little peck on her cheek, Seven closing her eyes with a relieved smile now that she knew that she wouldn’t bring one with her.  
  
Hopefully.


	23. Watching over her

The room got finally quiet, save for the low breathing of a sleeping Sice.  
  
Seven only sighed at the sight of her, running a hand through the spiky silver strands. Carefully, so she wouldn't wake her up. The other one she had tucked under her own head – that way she was slightly lifted and had a better look at her. A sleeping Sice would forever be one of her favorite sights, it always was she remembered.  
  
Though she should have been frightened by the sight she had, the way the faint red aura still danced around her was downright scary and alien to see up close, but she didn't bother. Sice finally fell asleep after a battle with herself, after many times saying how she didn't need her comfort – words that stung hard in her chest, words that only came from the foggy mind of the malice. Yet here she was, lying on top of her girlfriend to embrace the comfort and calmness Seven radiated.  
  
The malice was the scary part, making Sice a monster on the battlefield, but Seven saw it enough times in her life already to not be frightened by it. There was still _her_ Sice under the thick layer of the red aura, waiting for the dizziness in her head to die down already. And Seven would wait for that moment, trying to do her best to somehow quicken the process.  
  
They figured out it was the best when they got time for themselves, alone and away from the others until the malice was gone, in case Sice didn't get her pent up energy and adrenaline from the last mission under control. Everyone knew she wouldn't harm anyone from her class, but they didn't want to be the first should she really snap for the first time. Seven was there to keep her company – the only person Sice trusted in her state, knowing she would keep her distance if it was necessary. She could read her like an open book, no matter how much the malice changed her behavior, she looked right through her.  
  
And so they ended up like this, lying comfortable in Sice's bed, safe and sound, waiting for the aura to fade. It wasn't as much as it was a few minutes ago and Seven was honestly glad to see the slow change of it. It was almost translucent rather than the thick aura she had before.  
  
Slowly she stroked over her hair down her back then, feeling it dancing around her hand as she moved it up and down. It was a strange feeling, almost like a blow of the wind that tickled her hand, though how Sice felt it she didn't quite know. She never really asked and maybe it was slowly time to get to know this whole thing better from her, now that this cuddling and sharing the bed got more common after they confessed their feelings two weeks ago.  
  
But for now she watched Sice sleeping and the malice dancing without a care in the world, stroking softly over her to make the situation better for her. Because she couldn't wait to see Sice's smile when she woke up again and realized that Seven was looking out for her the whole time.  
  
And seeing that smile made it definitely worth it.

 


	24. Magic Lessons

It was a quiet morning in Akademeia, the sun was up for a while already and shone through the leaves of the trees in the garden behind Classroom Zero. Leaves rustled, the birds chattered their usual songs. The whole atmosphere was so perfect to just sit outside and laze around, or as a cadet, to take the learning outside. It would have been a waste not to use such a beautiful warm day.  
  
And that is exactly what Seven and Sice thought, too. Instead of sitting around in their dorm they took a spot outside, occupying a bench in the garden to do their learning there. Well, more like Seven did the learning and had a book in her hands and several others stacked beside her, while Sice was more in for a nap and had her head lying in Seven's lap, her feet dangling off the bench's arm rest.  
  
Her eyes were closed and she had her head pressed against Seven's stomach, feeling her breathing against her. It was calming to her and if she continued lying that way she might just fall asleep. And it didn't help either that Seven was stroking over her hair with one hand, massaging her temples and occasionally playing with her pony tail as she did so.  
  
Sice purred at the gentle touch, having a constant smile on her face. She couldn't be happier right now. It was warm, she was lying in her girlfriend's lap, no sign of any mission soon, no interruptions and loud noises, only she and Seven in a quiet spot. Just perfect.  
  
She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she noticed a loud sigh coming from Seven, putting her hand on her forehead to block out the sun to look up to her with one eye. And from what she saw from her position Seven seemed to be very focused on the book she was reading, her eyes didn't left the position. But Sice only shrugged at it, she didn't want to interrupt her in her learning, and closed her eyes again to continue to melt away under her touch.  
  
Though this didn't last long as Seven let out another puff of air and removed the hand from Sice's head and scratched her own head now, making Sice looking up to her again at the sudden change. She still had her focus on the book, but she bit on her lip now and narrowed her eyes in concentration.  
  
“Stuck?” Sice lifted an eyebrow as she felt Seven's displeasure, immediately feeling her hand on her head again as Seven saw she looked at her.  
  
“Hm yeah, kind of. I mean- it's not that hard, but.” She sighed again and closed the book with her thumb in between, looking down to her now with a strained face. But it softened the moment Sice reached out to her to cup her cheeks, sweeping a thumb over her with a smile. And Seven returned the smile then and soften her features at the sight of her, exhaling in a deep breath. “... You know about my problems with Thunder magic.”  
  
“Same old thing, huh? Alright, here.”  
  
Rubbing her eyes Sice moved herself up and left the comfortable position, lifting her arms to stretch herself for a split second before she turned to Seven again. This time however she took a seat on Seven's lap, her knees left and right on the bench, looking in her eyes with a quite serious face.  
  
No tone left Seven at all this, even when she opened her mouth to say something at the way she was sitting on her lap. She could only stare at her with crooked eyebrows. Confused yet in awe she laid her arms around Sice's body to await what she had in mind, her heart meanwhile making a slight jump as Sice put her hands on her shoulders to hold herself better.  
  
Seven had to admit that she would enjoy this position more often, having Sice sitting on her lap and turned to her was quite the view, not to mention that she appreciated this closeness very much so.  
  
“Books won't help you in learning thunder magic, so I'm gonna show you now. Otherwise you will never figure this out.”  
  
Reaching around her she grabbed Seven's left hand with both of hers and held it tight, angling her fingers so that they were pointed straight. Seven watched her interested, having her eyes steady on what Sice did with her hand.  
  
“Your fingers are more pointed when you use thunder magic. Fire magic has an open hand and I think I don't need to explain ice magic to you.” Sice shot her a smile and Seven returned it with a chuckle, remembering the many times Sice asked her about her favorite magic. “So, you kinda do this.”  
  
With her own left hand she mimicked the way she angled Seven's fingers and waved in front of her now until little sparks appeared for demonstration, dancing around her hand before they vanished again.  
  
“See?”  
  
“Uh …” Seven blinked. “That was fast.”  
  
Many times she saw her fighting with thunder magic on the battlefield, but she never really paid attention to that in close, let alone how she moved her hand while fighting. And now learning how to overcome this deficit in just a few seconds? She scratched her head.  
  
“Come on, just try it. You can't really do anything wrong, it's not like you use thunder magic the first time.”  
  
“That might be true, but you know how it always went horribly wrong.”  
  
“There is always a first time.”  
  
Seven sighed and looked at her hand, her fingers still in the position Sice put them in. She learned all magic types together with the rest of everyone, but thunder magic was never her favorite. It … was linked to memories from the past she would gladly forget, even the sound of it was unpleasant in her ears. And once she specialized herself on ice magic, she never used any thunder spell again – there was no reason to do that. Sice and Queen for example were way better with thunder magic than her. And in return Seven was better in ice spells than anyone else.  
  
But should there be any emergency in battle – if the enemy has a weakness against thunder and she is the only one left, then … then she had no choice. People relied on her on the battlefield, she couldn't just stand there and do nothing.  
  
“For me, please?”  
  
Sice leaned closer and nudged her with her nose as Seven seemed to get distant with her thoughts, searching for her gaze to get her attention again. They found each other and Seven found a pleading look in her eyes, almost too adorable to resist a smile.  
  
“Okay. I'll try it.” Seven took a deep breath. “But if anything goes wrong it's your fault.”  
  
“Right, right.” Sice grinned.  
  
The girl crawled from Seven's lap and seated herself on her knees beside her, giving her enough space to perform this spell. She had her eyes on her while Seven took a deep breath again and closed her eyes to recall how she summoned the thunder magic inside her, stretching her arm in front of her. Now she only had to concentrate on this act, summon the strength to her fingertips like she is supposed to.  
  
It was harder than she thought. It had been so long since she had done that, it didn't come to easy to her. Deep down she _knew_ she can use this magic and yet … and yet-  
  
With a gasp Seven opened her eyes again and focused on her hand, little sparks dancing there as a smile formed on her lips. She actually managed to cast thunder magic!  
  
“ _Crystals, Seven._ ”  
  
Yet Sice beside her broke out in a laughter and put her head on Seven's shoulder, not stopping her chuckle even as Seven turned her head to her to see what was going on.  
  
… However the moment she tilted her head the thing Sice was laughing at got in her sight. And that's when it hit her.  
  
Smoke emerged from the tree which was standing straight ahead of them, around 5 meters away. A patch of burned wood was seen, black with a shade of gray, even the birds stopped to sing. That surely wasn't there before all this – Seven formed an “oh” on her lips at the sight of it, looking at her hand again as the sparks disappeared.  
  
And Sice couldn't stop laughing, it even got worse when Seven patted on her head as an attempt to calm her down, yet her laugh was contagious and she couldn't suppress her own chuckle.  
  
“When … When I said try thunder magic I thought you'd only end up having little sparks, not actually doing a Thunder RF.”  
  
It was hard for her to speak between her sobs, but she managed it somehow, and Seven could only stare at the smoke coming from the tree, the apologetic smile she shot at that tree still visible. It didn't deserve this. This was just … _clumsy_.  
  
“Um. Sorry.”  
  
“Alright, alright.” Sice emerged from the shoulder and wiped away her tears. “Let's go to the arena before you completely burn down that poor tree.”  
  
Sice tucked at her hand when she stood up and Seven stumbled after her, leaving the books behind for her to come back later then.  
  
Magic theory was boring and practice was better anyways. She could pick up the books later again if she still needed that after Sice's intensive magic training.  
  


 


	25. Colors

Sice never really had a favorite color.  
  
She never thought about it, she never considered a color to be pretty or beautiful. Colors were just _there_ , giving things contrast and life, or sometimes it was just something to keep stuff apart.  
  
Looking far back in her life, the only thing Sice ever saw was white. The endless snow of the Militesi region still haunts her today – there was nothing beautiful to see in this quiet white, only hunger and pain from the coldness that hurt her from head to toe. She could remember her tiny blue fingers that got frozen from the harsh wind when she didn't find a spot to hide in the storm, only wrapped in a faint gray blanket she kept with her all the time, waiting for the worst to come.  
  
She hated that her hair is white. She thought about changing the color with berries she found deep in the forest that one day, but she rather ate them to keep herself alive. It wasn't much, but the little red berries kept her going, even if it was just one day.  
  
The gray of the city she grew up in was a bit more comforting than the white she remembers. Though it still wasn't anything pretty in her eyes, yet the alleys brought her safety from the harsh nature outside.  
  
The clothes of Militesi Soldiers who came to the city for trading were gray, too. They easily blurred in the color of the streets, yet Sice could spot them. She was used to this lifeless color, jumping back and forth in the shadows of the buildings and people to sneak up to the soldiers, searching their pockets with quick hands and grabbing anything that didn't look gray like everything else here.  
  
She would never admit it, but darkness is what she feared. No, not the darkness of the night, not the shadows she lived in, but the darkness she saw when she closed her eyes. She wouldn't forget her racing heart as she wandered through the endless snow, her legs numb from the cold and exhaustion, her eyes getting heavier and heavier with every step she made. But she wouldn't allow herself to close them, she knew it would be the end of her if she lied down in the middle of nowhere. Forcefully she tried to keep them open, but eventually her tiny body gave up, too weak from hunger to go on and darkness overwhelmed her.  
  
But the moment she thought her suffering was finally over, she woke up again. White was again the first thing she could remember about this time, yet now it was a _warm_ white. The white walls and floor of the facility radiated a warmth she wouldn't forget. Maybe it was because of the hot soup she got the day she arrived here, the love she received from “Mother”, or maybe it was from the laughter she heard from the other children living here. Laughter of comfort and happiness, something that stirred in Sice's cold-frozen heart.  
  
White didn't seem to be a bad thing now, yet the memories still lingered, but there weren't so prominent in her head anymore now that she didn't have to fight for her life because of it.  
  
It would take her a while until she would stop hating her hair color. She didn't even realize it that she didn't care anymore, not after a child came to her and said how pretty her hair was. Sice only raised an eyebrow at the odd remark. No one had ever said she looked beautiful or pretty, especially not her hair. Her hair was white, and white was always evil in her eyes, how could it be pretty.  
  
“Mother said that white and gray hair on children is rare. We are the only one here to have it, we should stick together.”  
  
Sice didn't know what to think of the girl with the silver hair. Why should she spend time with her, just because they share a similar hair color? But at least she didn't get on her nerves or forced her to speak, so Sice just accepted the quiet company she got.  
  
As she thought she finally got rid of every bad thought linked to white, red took the place of hurting her. She couldn't remember when exactly it appeared in her training sessions, but it was suddenly there, dancing around her fingers and the huge scythe she was wielding. When it was there it gave her a rush of energy, the ability to slay faster the enemies she faced. She felt lighter on her toes, or maybe it was because she actually felt light-headed. That red aura _changed_ her, what exactly she didn't know, but she was on the edge all the time when it was present to the point where it scared her.  
  
The blood on her hands of her enemies wasn't something she cared about, but she did care about the dark red glowing aura. Mother said she should try to control the energy she got from it, learn to use it in battle to draw as much force out of it as possible.  
  
It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. This red color haunted her ever since she encountered it, it wouldn't just fade when she wished or when the battle was over. No, it stayed for who-knows-long, sometimes it took a day for her to calm down, sometimes just an hour. And the effects of it wouldn't vanish either – the endless energy didn't seem to die down, no matter how hard she tried to exhaust herself with training.  
  
What this red aura did to her terrified her, yet it wasn't really hate she felt towards it. No, this time it was a challenge only she could face. This was her special gift and only she was able to master it.  
  
She might be alone with this, but that didn't mean that others couldn't see her struggle. Especially the silver-haired girl she hung out with and kept her company, Sice was sure she could sense there was something wrong with her the first time it appeared. Without a word she followed Sice, making sure she wouldn't hurt herself as she saw her struggling with it, yet keeping the distance when she needed it.  
  
And it turned out that this company actually did her good. Never she actually _felt_ alone – there were people out there who looked after her, even though she might not show how much she appreciated it. And in return she was a silent comrade, rushing through the shadows when help was needed.  
  
Red became a color of _going on_ , something she could look at and feel encouraged. Was it a pretty color? Probably, but she didn't considered as such.  
  
This intensified even more when they got crimson capes to wear, the color of the Vermillion Bird, trademark of the Peristylium they lived in. Only the legendary Class Zero was allowed to wear this special color and now Sice was one of them, having one of these capes wrapped around her neck and shoulder, letting it fly in the burning air of the dominion.  
  
But Sice didn't care about the red color of the Vermillion Bird. It was a meaningless color, demonized by her enemies by calling her “red demon”. This wasn't the red she grew up with or connected to the aura she had, she didn't had a connection to the vermillion accessories that were everywhere. She didn't fight for the Vermillion Bird or its inhabitants – she fought for Mother.  
  
There was a point though she thought about if she ever found a color beautiful.  
Today was a rather quiet morning, the orange rays of the sun shined through the window and pushed away the gray morning, engulfing the room in a cozy atmosphere. She had to admit that this spectacle in the morning did look rather beautiful indeed, yet she wouldn't consider this as her favorite sight.  
  
There were more beautiful things in the world and she knew about at least one, _someone_ to be precise. The girl who took care of her when they were once little children, bonded through the quiet company they shared. They never parted ways and never pushed each other away, and they still look out to each other.  
  
Sice sighed as she turned around to the sleeping girl beside her, silver strands hanging in front of her soft shaped face and moved with every breath she made in the sleep. It took her every willpower not to reach out and tuck a strand behind her ear, but in the end she lost this fight.  
  
Her way of showing comfort didn't go unnoticed though. With a low groan the girl seem to rise from her sleep, grabbing Sice's hand in her hair to pull it to her lips. Sice smiled as she felt the tired kiss against her hand, watching her as she shook off the last remains of sleep.  
  
With half-lidded eyes she told her “good morning”, their eyes meeting as Sice returned the soft words, never breaking the eye contact as she moved closer. Her gaze was intense, but Sice didn't bother – she didn't and wouldn't get tired of her girlfriend's eyes, never she refused to look away. She could find warmth and love in those purple eyes, giving her the feeling of safety and being understood. An understanding that rooted deep inside them and only them, something she wouldn't shy away from ever.  
  
In white she found memories of her past, a loving warmth she cold hold on to.  
In red she found the bond of her family and friends, a way to go on in her life.  
But in purple … purple was the color of her home, the person of her trust, and love.  
  
This was the color she considered as beautiful, special, and as her favorite.  
  


 


	26. Lazy Morning

The raindrops were loud against the window and the ledge, running in lines down the glass before they dropped down. The wind hushed outside and moved the leaves of the trees, letting them rustle with each blow. The sky was painted in a dark gray, no traces of the early morning sun was seen, yet it already was bright. Too many rainclouds swallowed up the orange rays of the sun that should bring the dawn of the new day, but instead the harsh cold of the night lingered.  
  
Seven grabbed her blanket tighter as she noticed the loud noises against the window, rolling over to the other side of the bed to try to block out the incoming light from the window, still way too tired to deal with now. She met the other person who shared the bed with her deep in slumber, only hearing the low breathing coming from her. With a yawn she laid her arm around the sleeping girl and snuggled closer to her with her own blanket, tucking her chin over her head to get into a comfortable position.  
  
Even though Seven is a morning person, today was not the day to wake or get up early. Not with that rain outside, not with those gray clouds decorating the sky that were just depressing to look at.  
  
She was almost out again when she noticed a stir coming from Sice, though it was just a little twitch, but brought Seven out of her sleep anyways. She tucked her head down to kiss her on the crown of her hair, sighing as she searched for her hand under the blanket and found it after a few pats on the mattress. A deep inhale came from Sice as Seven took her hand in hers, noticing the sudden received comfort she got.  
  
A groan escaped her, yet Sice refused to open her tired eyes and wanted to stay asleep, knitting her eyebrows together and tilting her head to her chest to cover her face from the light as she pressed her back against Seven's front more. Seven snorted at her reaction, definitely not bothered by her cuddly behavior. And she definitely wouldn't want to miss that out.  
  
A cuddly Sice was a happy Sice, and a happy Sice was a happy Seven, simple as that.  
  
The rain intensified after a few minutes and bumped even louder against the window and Seven cursed to herself, because she was so close to falling asleep _again_. Combined with the incoming light, this whole situation was just downright _uncomfortable._  
  
Carefully she untangled herself from Sice and lifted herself up, though just as much as she needed to turn herself around to see the window. The blanket slipped away from her head and back as she eyes the intense weather outside with half-lidded eyes.  
  
If this continued all day there was no way they were able to train outside, let alone even take a single step in this rain. And really, no one actually wanted to do that.  
  
She couldn't look at this mess anymore. With a huff she crawled off the bed and rubbed her eyes once she reached the edge of it and set her feet on the ground, Sice tilting her head confused to her shoulder to hear what was going on and why Seven left her position. But Seven just walked right over the window and closed the curtains with a single movement, blocking the incoming lights out and turned everything dark.  
  
The loud sounds of the raindrops were still audible, but that wasn't that much of a problem and rather pleasant now that the room was darkened. As if it was night all over again.  
  
Face first and without any further words Seven laid herself down again, crawling back to Sice and immediately embracing her with a sigh, while Sice remained still and smiled.  
  
“Not a morning person today, eh?” She whispered as Seven took her hand after she threw the blanket over her head again, a tiny groan in the back of her throat escaping her, and Sice could only chuckle. “I see.”  
  
“Today is a lazy day.” Seven murmured in return, more than ready to fall asleep again.  
  
“No complains here.”  
  
With the sounds of the rain against the window and cuddled up in a beautiful warmth towards each other, both definitely enjoyed this well-needed lazy morning. It would take them a whole lot time before either of them took a step outside of their room. But before they both thought about getting up, sleep overcame them again in a soothing embrace.  
  


 


	27. Confession

Seven smiled at the panting girl cuddled up to her, leaning herself on her elbow as she soothed a hand over her naked back – an attempt to calm Sice's labored breathing down – carefully, avoiding any scratches she made beforehand. But her chest was heavy and Seven could feel the exhaustion from their previous encounter against her, the glistering skin visible.   
  
With a wave her hand glowed in a faint green and the bruises on her back closed with ease, Sice sighing as the healing aura hit her and gave her an extended calming feeling.  
  
Sice wouldn't admit that she liked the scratches on her back, wanting to wear them with pride – they still hurt though and getting them healed by her girlfriend, well, this was still something else and she preferred that over the hurtful bruises in no time. If she got the offer, why not. Though there were times were she looked up to her with a pout, silently begging her to heal her, just to see if Seven really did it. And of course Seven couldn't resist that face, biting on her lip with a smile as the cure spell ran across the palm of her hand.  
This time however Sice was way too exhausted to say anything, only muffled groaning escaped her once Seven crawled up to her again and kissed over her stomach and chest before she planted a kiss on her dry lips. With half-lidded eyes Sice could stare at that winning smile from Seven as she hovered over her and rolled her over then to let her embrace her. And Sice definitely didn't complain with having her head lying in her cleavage, that's for sure.  
  
Seven tucked a lose strand behind Sice's ear as she saw her closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, leaning in to her to give her a quick peck on her temples. She could taste the sweat on her lips, but she didn't care – she was way too distracted by Sice's behavior than anything else.  
  
“Sleepy?” Seven whispered as she continued to stroke over her hair, not missing the shade of pink on her cheeks as Sice fluttered her eyes open in an weak attempt to catch her eyes. She didn't succeed though, her eyes were falling right back close again. An irritated breath left her and Sice only pressed her head stronger against Seven's chest, earning a chuckle from her. 

“I know you are. Go to sleep, Sice.”  
  
Carefully she reached down to her hip to grab the blanket, pulling it up to her shoulders to bury Sice under it. An approving purr vibrated against her chest as Seven patted over her head when she settled comfortably to her side, tucking her arm under her head to embrace her better.  
  
Sice's breathing was calming down, slowly but steady, to the point where Seven was sure she would be out soon. She couldn't blame her, she really … outdid herself this time, but neither of them really complained. Cuddling and sleeping afterward was still one of her favorite past time activity with her and she wouldn't want to trade it.  
  
Yet today Sice didn't even open her mouth to say anything, only having a weak smile on her face when Seven whispered soothing words in her ear, kissed her temples or rubbed her back. Her exhaustion ran high in her muscles and bones – exhaustion that resulted in a adorable tiredness, complete with snuggles and yawns. 

  
With a crooked eyebrow Seven watched Sice in her arms, biting on her lip to prevent herself from smiling as Sice tried to keep her mouth shut when a yawn approached her. But she couldn't prevent it.  
  
“... I'm going to marry your idiot ass.”  
  
Seven released the lip she was biting on as Sice closed her mouth from the yawn – and her words – again, the tired girl tucking her head down to completely fall asleep now. But Seven still stared at her in awe – from all the things she imagined her saying now, this was definitely not on her list.  
  
They had never talked about their future – their future together that was after the war. To be honest, neither of them knew what would happen after the war anyways, between going on missions and carrying out orders there wasn't much time to think about any future. Only the next step was important.  
  
But now … now Sice brought up _this_ topic. A life together with her, in a distant future when they are free from their responsibilities from a cadet. As adults living in a land without war, _married_ and living together.  
  
… At least that was what Seven's nebulous thoughts were telling her right now from this little sentence.  
  
Her heart made a slight jump as she imagined this picture in her mind with herself and a happy smiling Sice, standing hand in hand on fresh green grass, no traces of the horrible signs of war she saw in her life. A sight she could get used to if she was honest with herself now, it made her happy and if this was Sice's idea of a future …  
  
Seven tucked her head closer to her and laid her lips on her forehead, closing her eyes and inhaling deep through her nose. Tight she held her as the only response she could give her slipped through:  
  
“I'm counting on it.”

 


	28. Soft Hum (Orphanage AU)

The raindrops were thick and tapped hard against the window, turning the soothing sound of the rain in a disturbing and loud noise. Seven tried hard not to be bothered by it. She just found the rest she needed and would gladly go on sleeping, but she didn't managed it.  
  
Sleep would be very appreciated right now, especially now that she seldom slept through the night anymore, always taking care of the smallest addition to her little family.  
  
But this time the rain kept her from sleeping, it wasn't fair. The noise was too loud against the window ledge and pinched in her ears, for her unable to focus on sleep anymore.  
  
She sighed and turned around, extending an arm to grasp the sleeping body of her wife beside her. Or at least that was the plan. Her arms slumbered down when there wasn't anything to grab, only air and a blanket that laid to its half on the ground.  
  
Seven slightly lifted her head and blinked a few times at the emptiness in front of her, falling down on the pillow again as she realized her beloved Sice wasn't lying beside her. Her eyes picked up a faint flickering of light and followed it to the bedroom door that was left ajar. It was dim, but in the vast darkness of the night with this storm outside it was bright enough to be easily spotted.  
  
Going back to sleep seemed to be useless now, Seven was wide awake with all that noise and not knowing where Sice was at this late, or early, hour of the night. Stretching herself from head to toe she decided to look where the source of light was coming from, though she already had a hunch what was going on, and if she was right, then she wouldn't want to miss that opportunity.  
  
Rubbing her eyes she sat on the edge of the bed and set her feet to the ground, noises escaping her when she lifted her arms up to stretch herself one last time. With a deep exhale she tapped over the door and opened it, peeking around the corner to figure out where the light was coming from.  
  
The hallway was equal dark like the rest, safe for the dim light she was looking for. From the next room that was the closest to the bedroom it shone through the open door and Seven could only curiously raise an eyebrow as she sneaked closer, pausing before she reached the door to the room of her daughter.  
  
Faint sound were coming from the room, sounds she recognized as Sice's voice, yet Seven couldn't quite figure out what she was talking about, because they were just whispers from far. And then a humming followed – humming that definitely was familiar to her, never she would forget this melody.  
  
She leaned herself against the wall with her back, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a smile on her face and closed her eyes, just listening to the humming she heard. It might have been barely audible to her, but it was enough to let her heart pound just by the first few notes.  
  
… Sice rarely hummed the melody that accompanied them through their whole life, in fact Seven couldn't even remember when it was the last time she heard her. It must have been when they were still teenager and fought a war, or maybe it was close to the end of the war – but never as an adult. Not even when Seven hummed the melody to the children in the orphanage as a goodnight song – she simply stayed and listened together with the children to her.  
  
Seven never asked why it was that way, maybe it was a personal thing for Sice and never thought it was the right time. She could only guess.  
  
Now hearing her … this was something new. Sice didn't even miss a tone or mixed up the rhythm as if she never forgot this particular piece of music.  
  
_“You know,”_ The humming paused and Seven opened her eyes again at the spoken words coming from in the room, _“... our Mother hummed that for us when we had a bad day or night to calm us down. I … always liked that.”_  
  
Seven had to bit on her lip to prevent a smile, recalling memories from way back when they were once children. There were times where Sice denied how much she liked to listen to Mother's humming, but Seven never missed the way her eyes lit up at the soothing voice – it was one of the few things that made them all calm down and quiet for once, the chattering of the twelve children gone for this bit.  
  
And the perfect way to say goodnight.  
  
_“It's called Zero and … your uncle Ace can sing it, but he tends to forget the lines after the first few verses.”_ A chuckling echoed in the room, _“I can ask him to sing it for you when he visits the next time.”_  
  
There was a pause and Seven actually wanted to go back to bed after she heard the last sentences, now that she was sure Sice looked after their daughter and nothing bad happened. She could still ask her later what made her do so …  
  
Rubbing her eyes she turned on her heel, but immediately stopped again when she picked up the next words.  
  
_“ … I never hummed that to other children before, you're the first to hear that. You know why, Naju?”_ Seven walked back to the door and listened closely this time, almost reaching out to the door handle. _“I … never felt like a good mother, hell, I don't even really do now – when I see Seven, I mean, your mother, it's just … she is so good in it, natural even. I admire that. While I – I don't know. … It feels like I'm just rambling, heh, you don't even understand me. Probably. … Your mother is such a wonderful woman, you know that?”_  
  
Seven couldn't hold back anymore after she heard that. She entered the room with quiet steps, the light she saw all the time coming from the lamp on the nightstand table beside her daughter's bed. Sice stood in front of it and turned her head to Seven as she came closer, the small bundle of her daughter lying in her arms and appeared to be asleep.  
__  
“Sice, you're a great mother.”  
  
“Seven? What are you-”  
  
The woman hushed her and interrupted her speaking, smiling to her as she took a look at the child on her arm. Sice meanwhile stared at her with an open mouth, her eyes trying to find Seven's gaze.  
  
“I never thought … I hear you humming Zero. It was wonderful.”  
  
“... Did you spy on me?”  
  
“Hm, maybe.” Seven chuckled softly and put an arm around Sice's shoulder as she stepped close, leaning in to her as she watched her daughter in Sice's arms. “But not for long. I was wondering where you are.”  
  
“I uh … I heard her when I woke up because of the storm. I thought I take a look and … here I am.” Sice whispered and ran a finger through the white fuzz on the child's head, only getting a tiny squirm as a reaction.  
  
Seven watched her and laid her head her shoulder. “And you put her back to sleep, huh?”  
  
“Yeah,” She nodded, “Yes I did.” __  
  
“See, you're a good mother, Sice.”  
  
“But I-”  
  
“Shush, don't argue with me over that.” Seven pressed a kiss on Sice's cheek and earned a tiny smile from her. She knew she couldn't win this fight. “Not in front of her.”  
  
“Hah, alright.”  
  
A silence occurred as they simply stood there, together with their own little family arm in arm. It was something they wished for a long time and now it was reality – yet it still felt so _unreal_ that Sice still had to catch on.  
  
That they actually have a happy future together … a future without a war where they could live in safety. It was here and now.  
  
“Do you want to come back to bed?” Seven nudged her after a while as she noticed Sice's eyes getting smaller and smaller. “Mama Sice?”  
  
“Tch, don't call me that.” She smiled and nudged her back, but nodding then as a yawn slipped through. “Alright, let's put you back to bed, little Naju.”  
  
“Sleep well.”  
  
Seven planted a kiss on the child's forehead before Sice carefully laid her down again, tucking the blanket safely around her. She grabbed her hand then to quietly escort her out of the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
It didn't take them long to get back to bed and cuddle up again, Sice trying to bring up the topic from earlier, but getting shushed once again.  
  
“Sice, you _are_ a good mother, maybe you don't see it yet.” Seven whispered against her and stroked over her back. “ … I know you are. You … hummed Zero to her, you never did that to the other children before. I know you think of it as a mother thing … and now you did it to her.”  
  
Sice exhaled deep and closed her eyes, focusing on Seven's touches that slowly lulled her to sleep. “I guess you're right.”  
  
“There you go. One step closer.” Smiling she kissed Sice's forehead and pulled the blankets up to their shoulders, wrapping her arms around her wife's body. “Goodnight then. … And worry not, Sice.”  
  
“I won't.” Sice sighed at the comfortable embrace and returned the smile. “ … Love you.”  
  
“Love you, too.”  
  
Only minutes after they snuggled up they fell asleep, the harsh raindrops from earlier now a gentle whisper against the window, accompanying them in their deep slumber.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naju (full name Najuro) is the name of the Sebusai kid OC c:  
> I always wanted to write something about her.


	29. Thirst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes two of my headcanons for them.

“Hey Sice, do you have my- … oh.”  
  
Seven's breath hitched as she opened the door to Sice's room and stepped in, her gaze straight-forward drawn to the middle of the room where Sice was standing with her back directed to her.  
  
Her naked back.  
  
And on top of that she had two weights in each hand, lifting them one after another. Her skin glistered with each move Sice made, the muscles moving in a rhythmic way.  
  
The door handle slipped out of Seven's hand at the sight, a silent gasp escaped her as she could only stare in awe – she closed her mouth again and shook her head, blinking a few times to confirm what she saw.  
  
It made everything just worse.  
  
Her cheeks grew red and she didn't even see the door closing again after she lost the grip on the handle, letting it almost bash against her head. Thankfully her reflexes refused to let that happen and stopped it before it could cause any damage.  
  
There was no denying in that she got caught off guard with that sight.  
  
Sice tilted her head at the sudden dull noise, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the red faced Seven, though not stopping with her workout-routine.  
  
“Ever heard of knocking?” She spat with a hint of a grin.  
  
“I uh. … Sorry.” Seven scratched the back of her head and held her gaze to the ground now, avoiding the sight. “I just … uh, wanted to ask you if I can get my book back.”  
  
“Huh.” Her eyes wandered through the room and locked on the said book on her desk. “Over there”  
  
Seven looked up to her again, carefully without getting too distracted of all those glorious muscles on her back, and followed her gaze. She nodded then and walked over to it, grabbing the book that read “Magic Guide: Advanced Edition”.  
  
“I know now why you read that book so often. What it tells about thunder magic is pretty accurate I must say,” Sice wheezed under her words, “though I'm still not a fan of learning magic out of books. I need … practice.”  
  
Seven paused in her steps in direction to the door, ready to leave again, otherwise she didn't know how long she could hide her … nervousness around her.  
  
“Hm. … Maybe we can practice together? I teach you ice magic and you thunder magic to me.”  
  
“Yeah fine by me. Deal then.”  
  
“Alright.” Seven nodded and ducked her head down again, walking towards the door.  
  
But the moment she laid her hands on the door handle again, she couldn't prevent herself from taking a last glance at the … admirable sight in front of her. Oh how much she would give to just reach out and trace along those muscles, to touch this raw skin.  
  
Though her eyes wandered further down her back, stopping at her lower part right before the clothing on her butt. It wasn't like she never saw _that_ on her before, it was always a part of her since she knew her, or at least she couldn't remember when it was any other way.  
  
Sice always had this skin irritation on her lower back. It just had a darker shade of her actual skin and reached entirely from left to right. Like a huge birthmark that was, but something about it was odd – the shape of it resembled scarred skin, but Seven was sure it wouldn't feel that way if she traced her hands along it, it looked way too smooth for that.  
  
It fact it looked more like an old stab wound that healed slowly over time and grew with her as she got older. Seven never asked if she knew where it came from or if it always looked like that – she never dared to ask. Invading Sice's private space was not her intention, especially not after she revealed her past to her. She rather stayed curious than to dig up things that were meant to be forgotten.  
  
“You done with staring?”  
  
Seven snapped out of her thoughts at the sudden voice of Sice, shaking her head once again to clear her mind. Sice was turned around to her now and rubbed her face with a towel, her weights already safely tucked away on the next shelf.  
  
“Huh … Uh, yeah. Sorry. I just-”  
  
Sice let out a deep sigh and grabbed the water bottle nearby, uncapping it.  
  
“... It's fine. So, you had an appointment with Mother, right? Is your shoulder okay again?” She pointed with her head at Seven's shoulder before she took a sip of the water.  
  
“Yeah.” Seven reached with her left hand to her right shoulder and rubbed over it, the soreness still lingering there. “You know how it is. It will be fine for a while until it will get numb again and I have to seek Mother again.”  
  
“She still has no longtime cure for it? Well this sucks.”  
  
“I still have these should something happen.” With the back of her fingers she knocked against her pauldrons, two on each side instead of the regular one everyone is supposed to wear on the battlefield.  
  
Mother suggested to wear a pair more to protect her shoulder better. After an accident in her childhood her right shoulder didn't function as much as she wished it would be – she broke it once after she fell down on the hard ground after performing a not-so-well trained dance move. After that Mother's healing magic couldn't repair everything, it grew numb at certain parts, though with a few tricks the numbness vanished for some time.  
  
She couldn't stand that well on her right arm anymore while she was fighting, she had to switch to her left one from now on, meaning she had to switch her weapon to her right hand in order to perform her attacks. For being left-handed, that was a huge step to overcome.  
  
To prevent further wounds and accidents, especially with her dangerous looking fighting style, she's now wearing double armor.  
  
“Heh, guess you're right. You will check your schedule for our … _practice training_?” With a hint of a smirk Sice emphasized the last two words, seeing the confusion playing in Seven's eyes.  
  
“ … Sure. I can tell you when I have time.”  
  
One last nod she sent in Sice's direction before she ultimately left the room now, still having the picture of Sice's back in her mind. She swallowed as she walked along the hallway to her room, trying to come up with other thoughts – anything, just not _that image_.  
  
… But it seemed like she failed. And truthfully she hoped to catch again a glimpse of her body when they trained together later.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My explanation for the two shoulder things Seven is wearing ... ah well.  
> And the thing on Sice's back comes from a special encounter in the cycle before Type 0 happens. I kind of like the idea that it still affect her.


	30. Unspoken Feelings (1)

Rustling. More rustling.  
  
Seven's eyes fluttered open at the distant noise, blinking a few times to adjust her eyes. Yet the vast darkness of the night didn't allow her to see that much, the incoming moonlight barely making out the basic shapes of the room. She rolled over to the other side of the bed, her hands pressed on her face. A small groan escaped her throat before she sighed.  
  
Even the smallest noises could wake her up, her protective instincts always on alert.  
  
There was a rustling again from the other side of the room. This time she pushed herself up on her hands and lifted her head, the blanket falling from her shoulders as she looked around in the dark room. The faint red light of her alarm clock blinked – 1:43am, Seven figured out, a time she rarely saw on her clock.  
  
With half-lidded eyes she almost fell back on her pillow again, her mind way too hazy from her interrupted sleep. It was in the middle of the night, a time where she should be long asleep, but the noises she picked up were of her concern.  
  
Noises that could only come from her roommate who slept just a few meters away from her.  
  
Sice usually slept through the night without any disturbance, yet in the corner of her eye Seven could pick up quite clear movements, shifts of blankets that were accompanied by noises she couldn't point out.  
  
_Sice?_ Seven's eyes widened, her tiredness suddenly washed away by her concern.  
  
Deciding to confirm of what she thought what was going on, she stayed a little while with her lifted head, looking in Sice's direction. But since she couldn't quite see what was going on, it left her with no other choice.  
  
Rubbing one last time her eyes, she pushed the blanket away from herself and shifted closer to the edge of the bed, setting her feet on the ground then. She never left her eyes from Sice, even though it seemed like the movements stopped right now. But that didn't help with her concern much, not until she figured out what was going on.  
  
Carefully she stepped closer, tip-toeing her way to the other side of the room. There it was again, the movements she saw before – now that she was closer, she could see it was indeed Sice moving under the blanket. And then it suddenly stopped again the moment Seven stood still in front of the bed.  
  
It was odd. Did she have a bad dream?  
  
“Sice?”  
  
Seven's gentle whisper seemed to stir something in her. With a small growl Sice pushed back the blanket to her shoulders and poked her head out, her white hair falling in her face she swiftly tried to tuck away again.  
  
“... What?” Sice barked back.  
  
“You okay?” Seven kneed in front of the bed now and reached out to Sice, patting over the thin blanket. She squirmed a bit under it.  
  
“I'm fine.” Sice threw the blanket over her head again, “Really.”  
  
But Seven knew her enough to know that this was just a blatant lie.  
  
“Are you sure?” She asked her again, this time patting over the blanket where her head was under. Another groan came from her and she ultimately pushed the blanket away from her face, sighing against the pillow. It was no use, she would have found out anyway.  
  
“ … It's too cold.” Sice mumbled, almost embarrassed to even say this. “My feet are freezing.”  
  
“Oh.” Seven was silent.  
  
That explained the unusual shifts, at least now she knew what was going on with her and actually Seven wasn't surprised. Sice and the cold were never friends, no wonder she had trouble sleeping.  
  
“Well, um.” Quickly Seven let her gaze wander through the room and stopped at her own bed again, a little smile playing on her lips. “... Move over.”  
  
“Huh?” Sice raised an eyebrow and watched Seven walking bed to her bed, seeing her gathering her pillow and blanket. “What the hell?”  
  
“I said move over.” She tossed her bedding on Sice's bed, “I'm going to sleep in your bed.”  
  
Sice silently watched Seven preparing her side of the bed, not having a different choice than to make room for her. “ … Why.”  
  
“To warm you up?”  
  
She didn't miss the hint of a smile in that sentence.  
  
“Um … uh.” Briefly Sice rubbed over her cheeks, actually glad right now that it was too dark for her to see the blush creeping over her face. She swallowed and shook her head. “I mean … alright then.”  
  
Slowly she made room for Seven to join her, dragging the extra blanket Seven brought with her over herself already. Two blankets were definitely better than one right now, but … it didn't stop Sice from shivering.  
  
She turned around, facing in the opposite direction to where Seven lied. This was either the worst or best thing that could have happen right now, she wasn't sure about that. But one thing she knew – she definitely wasn't shivering on her whole body because of her cold feet.  
  
“Are you sure it's only your feet?”  
  
Before she even knew it, Seven's arms were tucked around her middle to pull her closer and their legs entangled, Seven even rubbed her warm feet against Sice's cold ones. Sice grew stiff and her eyes widened at the contact.  
  
Oh no, this was bad.  
  
She swallowed hard when Seven pressed herself against her back, shifting a bit when she felt her tucking one arm under her head. It was a comforting position and brought her at ease, somewhat at least.  
  
It didn't stop her heart from racing, though.  
  
Sice tucked her head closer to her chest and moved a bit towards Seven's embrace, close to just reaching out to the hand that lied on her stomach. But she refused – there was no way she could explain her cold sweaty hands to her. Not that she could explain her reaction to that closeness anyways.  
  
Seven's breath tickled at her neck, she could feel each rise and fall of her chest against her back – it was rhythmic and slow, her touches gentle and careful. Just like she expected it to be.  
  
Just like she _dreamed_ it to be.  
  
“Is that okay?” Seven asked with a soft voice after a while of silence, trailing her flat hand over Sice's stomach. She snorted when she felt a small twitch under her touch.  
  
“Yeah …” She swallowed, but formed her lips in a smile then. “Yeah if you stay like this I might get warm.”  
  
“Alright I won't move.”  
  
“Good.” Sice chuckled and closed her eyes, savoring as many moments she could in this position.  
  
Who would have thought that Seven provided body heat to warm her up. If she knew this earlier, she might have used that for her advantage way sooner already – to say that she actually got a chance to cuddle up to _her._ She, who invaded her thoughts on regular basis now …  
  
_Just platonic cuddling …_ Sice repeated in her head over and over, melting in Seven's arms.  
  
She could barely hear her saying goodnight as she slowly fell into a deep slumber, her shivering gone. Unconsciously she reached out to the hand Seven had on her stomach, but she was out when Seven swept a thumb over her knuckles and wished her a good sleep.

 


	31. Nightly Readings

“Sice …?”  
  
Seven tried hard to keep her eyes closed. She really tried not to get distracted by the shining light right beside her, but it was almost impossible to not get curious and look what was going on.  
  
With a sigh she pulled the blanket closer to her shoulders, tucking her head down to her chest to block out as much light as possible. There was no way she would let go of that sleep, no way to let that comfortable warmth of her blanket slip away from her …  
  
A soothing hand ran over her blanket. It rubbed over her shoulders down her back and returned the motion several times until it just lied flat on her back then. Seven hummed at the feeling and smiled.  
  
Ah yes, wonderful.  
  
A small chuckle came from beside her and Seven felt a pat on her back before the feeling of the hand vanished. Her smile faded and a scowl took place, knitting her eyebrows together at the sudden loss of the gentle touch.  
  
The emptiness that felt like as if warmth was stolen from her.  
  
This was unacceptable.  
  
Finally Seven decided to open her eyes to the what was even going on right now in the middle of the night. Slowly she opened them, barely reaching the half before she had to close them again.  
  
Stupid strong light. But that split second was enough for her to make out her surroundings.  
  
“Sice.” Seven murmured against her pillow and shifted closer to her girlfriend beside her. “Sice, why are you still awake.”  
  
Seven's head nudged Sice's elbow as an attempt to get her attention again. And she got the reaction she wanted – Sice soothed again over her back and gave her the gentle back rub she apparently craved so much.  
  
But she got no answer to her question. Seven shifted as close as she could, growling as she couldn't get any further than lying at her side. Sice could only smile at the cuddly behavior, laying the book she was reading to the side, as well as the blanket she lied under it and opened her arms to welcome her.  
  
“C'mere”  
  
She immediately complied and snuggled closer, using Sice's blanket now to sleep under it. Her head was safely tucked against her shoulder, one arm wrapped around Sice's body to keep her close, legs entangled.  
  
All in all way better than only having one hand running down her back.  
  
Sice picked up the book again, maneuvering her arm perfectly around Seven to let her sleep in that position.  
  
But sleep didn't come easy to Seven again, even though the position she was in was more than comfortable for her. She still wanted to know what was troubling her – there must have been a reason why she was still awake and read a book. It wasn't that common for Sice to read a book in the middle of the night.  
  
“Trouble sleeping?”  
  
“Hm, yeah.” Sice hummed as response, carefully gliding her fingers through Seven's gray hair. “Too much going on. I'm trying to get a clear head and then go to sleep, okay?”  
  
“Hm, alright.” Seven sighed, “If something is the matter, tell me please?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine.”  
  
“Sice...”  
  
“C'mon, sleep now.” She planted a kiss on Seven's head. “Let me read this chapter and I turn off the light. You worry too much.”  
  
Another sigh left Seven. Getting her to talk about her problems was always a difficult thing, she couldn't force her. And if she didn't want to say it now, Seven would find it out sooner or later anyways. There was no hiding from her.  
  
Seven opened one eye, squinting a bit to make out the words of the book Sice was reading. She read a few lines and started to bit herself on the lips at the words she made out. Two people on a rooftop who held hands and watched the stars? Wait, this was familiar. She could remember reading this too …  
  
Oh. Who would have thought.  
  
“... I didn't know you were into romance novels.”  
  
Sice gasped at the sudden words from Seven, almost dropping the book. She put a thumb between the pages she was reading and laid it down, staring at Seven.  
  
“Um … I. I'm not.”  
  
“Sure you don't. It's about that couple on the rooftops of the school building, right? How they slowly reach for their hands and come closer in the night and-”  
  
“ _Seven_.” Sice groaned and rubbed her forehead. “Yes, shush, alright I'm reading it, okay. Everyone does in Akademeia, I just … got curious. Wait, you read it, too?”  
  
“Deuce gave it to me.” She shrugged. “It was adorable at some points. I read it about a week ago, because everyone was talking about it. So … how do you like it so far?”  
  
Sice could feel Seven's grin against her.  
  
“ … I think it's okay. Yeah.”  
  
“Only _okay_?”  
  
“... Yes.”  
  
“What's that pause, huh?”  
  
“ _Seven!”_ She groaned again and sighed deeply.  
  
“Alright alright, that's everything I needed to know.”  
  
Seven chuckled and tucked her head lower, pulling the blanket close. She suspected her to read it, but she never thought she would catch her right into it. And to say that she actually _likes_ it … she wouldn't deny it so much if she didn't.  
  
Sice was such a closet romantic.  
  
She grinned. Maybe, just maybe Sice would use some ideas from that book and take her to such dates … Seven definitely wouldn't say no to a trip to the rooftops of Akademeia, watching the stars while sitting shoulder by shoulder with linked hands.  
  
Thinking about any future dates with Sice were one of her favorite things to fall asleep to. And Sice could only smile as she watched Seven fall asleep, already having an idea for their next date.


	32. Unspoken Feelings (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a continuation of chapter 30.

"Seven?” A voice whispered.

“Hng … uh, huh?”  
  
“... Seven, are you awake?”  
  
“Wha-?”  
  
Seven blinked and lifted her head from her pillow, scanning her surroundings with tired eyes. She tried hard to keep her eyes open, yet in the vast darkness of the room she barely made anything out. She was sure she just heard someone calling her name. Either that, or her tired mind played tricks on her.  
  
She blinked again before she fell on her pillow again with a sigh, ready to continue her sleep. But she didn't come far. There was a nudge on her back that brought her back to reality and once again she opened her eyes.  
  
This time she finally could make out a silhouette standing in front of her bed. And from the looks of it, she knew exactly who that was.  
  
“Sice?” Seven rubbed her eyes and suppressed a yawn, huffing when there was a shift on her mattress. “What are you-”  
  
Sice just sat down beside the sleepy girl, her legs dangling of the edge of the bed. She had her hands in her lap, but Seven couldn't quite see what she did with them.  
  
A sigh came from her when she tilted her head down, her messy hair falling in her face.  
  
“Can I … sleep in your bed. Just for this night?”  
  
“Huh?” Seven widened her eyes at Sice's rough and tired voice, fumbling a bit with her blanket to stick her arm out. She touched Sice's back with the tip of her fingers, feeling her muscles tense up at the sudden touch. A twitch came from her as a result, but she calmed down in just a few seconds when Seven continued to stroke over her back, the tension slowly vanishing. “You okay?”  
  
Silence.  
  
A sigh again.  
  
“ … Can I now?”  
  
“Okay. … Sure”  
  
Seven shifted a bit to make room for Sice to lie down, offering her the majority of the space on the bed, but Sice decided to stay as close to the edge as possible, not even considering using the blanket Seven was offering her. Her back was turned to her, one arm stuck under her head when Seven realized she wouldn't shift any closer.  
  
Sice was curled up on her side without showing her any emotion and Seven had no idea what to do with her now. She couldn't just leave her like that, especially not when such a sleepless night wasn't the first time happening to her.  
  
Why would she want to sleep in another person's bed in such a cramped and uncomfortable position when she had her own bed just a few meters away.  
  
She didn't even tell Seven why she wanted to sleep here.  
  
Not that Sice told her about her problems in the first place, Seven had to drag them either out of her or guess, with the latter being more prominent and usually they turned out to be true. And it seemed like she had to do it again.  
  
Sice didn't look very talkative right now anyways.  
  
“Hey …” Seven scooted closer to the curled up girl, running a hand over her back again. Yet this time there came a sharp inhale from her and Sice shifted into the touch, much to Seven's surprise.  
  
A sigh followed and she was still again  
  
Seven's heart was aching. Surely, Sice never was a social person, let alone let anyone invade her private space – trying that would mean a painful death – but being her roommate and _friend_ Seven was the closest person Sice had contact to, with actually showing the other side of her, without revealing too much.  
  
Right now was such a rare moment Sice showed her vulnerability to her.  
  
It was like walking on egg-shells, Seven couldn't and _wouldn't_ push her far. She just wanted to make sure she was alright and as comfortable as possible to finally find rest in this unsettling night.  
  
“Here, come on.”  
  
Sice slightly tilted her head over her shoulder at the sudden blanket flying on top of her, followed by Seven's arm to make sure she was fully covered. Briefly Seven patted over her and returned then to her previous position, satisfied that Sice didn't complain about her taking action.  
  
Instead she saw her even pulling the blanket closer, unconsciously scooting in Seven's direction with that, though there was still enough space between them.  
  
“There, better?”  
  
A single nod came from Sice and Seven smiled.  
  
She might not find out why Sice had sleepless nights, but if she could make them any better with such tiny actions, then she was glad she was here with her.  
  
Maybe one day she would find out why Sice sought her company in the night, but for now that was all she could do.  
  
Sice had a hint of a smile on her face when she closed her eyes and slowly fell in a deep, refreshing slumber, still feeling the touch of Seven's hand running up and down her back when she was out.  
  
The soothing touch she wouldn't forget that easily.

 


	33. Unspoken Feelings (3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuation from chapter 32.

Crawling in each other beds for the night became a regular thing.

In fact it happened almost every night – if Sice didn't make any intentions to join Seven, Seven was the one who crawled into Sice's bed and comforted her through her sleepless nights.

It came to the point where neither of them had to ask if they wanted to sleep in the others' bed. Wordlessly they decided it, sometimes right before they went to bed when they turned off the lights, other times it was in the middle of the night when Sice decided to sneak into Seven's bed. There were even days where Seven didn't notice that Sice dragged herself over to her to sleep in her bed, only realizing there was someone lying beside her in the morning.

Usually it was just quiet lying side by side, barely any body parts touching. An arm and leg occasionally rubbed together, but it was more unconsciously than anything else. At least that was what Seven told herself. Moving in sleep wasn't that seldom, so why shouldn't Sice do that, too?

Except for the wordless back rub Seven gave Sice from time to time, never hearing any complains from her about that. She seemed to get comforted by it, the slight shiver she got every time she crawled in Seven's bed getting lesser by the soothing touch and eventually she found sleep she desperately needed.

Even if it was only for a short time.

Seven worried about her a lot through the day and night. It didn't help much that Sice never spoke about her sleeping problems and why they occurred. She was Sice and sucked it up. No need to deal with those useless problems when there was a bloody battlefield outside that needed to be taken care of.

Openly talking about herself wasn't her thing and never would be, Seven knew that. She had to wait patiently until Sice would open herself up. Not with words, but with action.

The current night wasn't much different than the other previous nights. Seven laid in her bed and Sice accompanied her, taking the space far on the edge of the bed with her back to Seven's front. Seven had just withdrawn her hand from Sice's back a few seconds ago, her shivering had stopped and she seemed to be asleep, only low breathing coming from her.

Her eyes still lingered on her a while to make sure Sice was really fast asleep, deciding to finally catch her own sleep, now that her heart was at ease and didn't need to worry for the night anymore. She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead before she grabbed her blanket and turned around then, glancing one last time over her shoulder to Sice before she closed her eyes.

Her heart might be at ease now, but her worries didn't leave her. They never did, really. Especially not her worries about Sice.

Sleep didn't come easy to her.

Eventually she reached the edge of sleep, too tired to let her worries overwhelm her anymore. Tomorrow would be a day, too, for now it was enough.

With little raindrops tapping at the window she slowly drifted away, having the rhythmic sound of the rain and Sice's breathing in her ear.

But she never reached the state of sleep.

She twitched at a touch on her side, her sleep washed away by the sudden movement behind her. Quickly she was well aware of the shifts on the mattress, followed by a sigh and a feeling of warmth behind her – and suddenly her surroundings were clear to her.

She inhaled deep at the thought.

_Oh._

Somebody else would have been struck by the sudden embrace from Sice, but Seven … Seven was as calm as ever, only her slight red cheeks indicating the awkwardness.

Though she shouldn't feel awkward from it. That friends cuddle up in sleep might happen, but deep down it dawned to her why her pulse quickened, why her heart picked up speed the moment the grip around her tightened and Sice apparently edged closer, their legs touching now at the closeness they were now in. Yet Sice's breathing remained the same – it was shallow and barely audible with the sounds of the rain, but for Seven those noises were loud enough to register.

Over the course of time she recognized Sice's breathing pattern and she was relieved whenever she could hear those.

Sice was still fast asleep.

She released the breath she didn't notice she was holding and rubbed her cheeks. This was ridiculous, she shouldn't feel that way.

And yet here she was.

She swallowed her feelings all the time. Every time Sice crawled in her bed she told herself it was just on a friendly basis, that Sice did that only because she slept better around her with no feelings attached.

It helped, at least a bit.

But now that Sice snuggled up to her in sleep it brought them all back with one rush. A bit too much for her liking, but she had to deal with them now, somehow. Otherwise there was no way she would fall asleep like that.

For a while she stared into the darkness of the room, just listening to Sice's breathing and the raindrops tapping at the window. Thoughts of all kinds invaded her mind, ranging from what she should do now and what she should do in the future – getting out of her embrace or accepting it, confronting her or waiting until she made a move.

She sighed and tucked her head lower. It was no use to battle with those ridiculous thoughts now. One thing at a time, patience was the key word.

For now she knew what her heart and mind would give her ease and that was exactly what she did now.

Carefully she shifted on the spot, first getting on her back, and then on her other side, never moving Sice's arm from her. She halted for a moment when she saw the sleeping Sice, her breath hitching at the soft features she could make out.

To say that she ever would see her in such a comfortable position, away from any hardships they faced when the sun was shining above them.

And she was the only one who actually was able to see her that way …

Seven might swallow her feelings, or even deny them, but one thing she knew and no one take that from her: They were friends who could trust each other, whether it was in a situation like this or on the battlefield, they were comfortable around each other without words. And that was what she treasured.

A little smile formed on her face when she shifted closer to the sleeping girl, tucking her arm under her head and returned the embrace Sice gave her. A little stir came from her, but it passed quickly.

Having her in her arms was way better than anything else right now and Seven could finally close her eyes, now that she was in a position she didn't even realized she craved so much. It gave her comfort and a warmth in her stomach she didn't want to let go.

Never had she ever wanted to let _Sice_ go.

For the time being everything was perfect. And who knew, maybe this happiness Seven felt right now would extend to her daily life one day. A life where herself and Sice accepted this happiness with open arms.

Tracing a single finger over Sice's back, Seven whispered the last words before she fell into a soothing sleep.

"Sleep well, Sice. … Love you."


	34. Rest Day

On tip-toes Sice sneaked along the hallway, carefully opening the door to the bedroom without creating too much noise. She poked her head inside, squinting her eyes and sighing in relief when she saw her wife lying in bed with her blanket pulled far up to her shoulders.

Ah, wonderful.

Darkness still engulfed the room and made it hard to see, but the morning would arrive soon and nature would awake soon, the early rays of the sun already knocking against the window to announce the start of the day. Sice actually was surprised that Seven was still sleeping at this time of the day, since she should be up since an hour already. It seemed like her biological clock didn't shook her awake.

But not today. Today was special and Sice had the upper hand – and without her alarm clock, Seven would get some extra rest she definitely deserved. Being the head of the orphanage was an exhausting job and Sice made sure she got her quiet time whenever it was possible.

Today was such a day. Sice had a big grin on her face the moment she woke up, making sure to manipulate Seven’s alarm clock, so she wouldn’t wake up at her usual time.

And from the way Seven laid on her side of the bed and cuddled up to her blanket, she was still fast asleep.

Good.

Quietly Sice stepped into the room and closed the door behind her again, making her way to the bed Seven slept in. Without shifting the mattress too much she crawled beside her, tucking a bit at the blanket to get at least some of it to lie with her under it and wrapped her arms around Seven's middle.

Her early work today was done and catching some rest with her love in her arms definitely didn't hurt. And she just really wanted to be at Seven's side this morning – it had been a while since it happened like that and she craved that warmth in the morning right now.

With a smile on her face, Sice closed her eyes and listened to the low breathing from Seven, drifting off in a light sleep.

Only half an hour later, Sice rose from her slumber again. A twitch from Seven shook her awake and she could feel her moving in her arms she had around her. With half-lidded eyes she watched her stretching before she sunk down again with a huff. She had to admit, watching her doing her stretching was a thing she definitely didn't get tired of.

And then it happened.

Sice could see how Seven's eyes grew wide at the sudden realization, sweeping her gaze through the room – through the orange enlightened room from the sun that brought a soft and warm atmosphere. She grabbed Sice's arms around her and tried to wiggle free, but Sice simply pulled her closer, not letting her go anytime soon.

“Sice...” She whined, trying to resist the urge to give in to the comfortable embrace. “I have to-”

“Ssh, you have to do nothing.” Sice snickered behind her and buried her head into the white strands. “How about a good morning first?”

Her struggling subsided at the mumbled words. She closed her eyes and sighed, leaning in into the hug Sice gave her.

“You did everything again, didn't you?”

“I just did what you do every morning. Because, come on.” With a small tuck she flipped Seven around to see her face and when Seven saw the big grin from Sice, she couldn't stop herself from reciprocating the warm embrace. “... You need a day to rest again.”

Seven nuzzled her face against Sice's chest and shook her head while doing so, a small laughter escaping her. Oh, what would she do without her.

“You're such a dork.”

“Maybe. But it's not gonna stop me from giving you a break. Because that's exactly what you get today.” She planted a kiss on her forehead. “And once you feel like getting up, there is a wonderful breakfast waiting for you.”

Now that got her attention.

“Pancakes?”

Sice snorted. “Yes, pancakes. Now hush, go back to sleep. I'll take care of the kids.”

With a small shift Seven looked up to her again, their eyes meeting for a brief second before she leaned in to give her a small peck on her lips. A smile emerged from both from the fleeting touch and Seven returned to her previous position, sighing at the comfortableness Sice was radiating.

“Hm, thank you, Sice.” A short pause. “ … Love you.”

“Love ya, too.”


	35. It's way too hot

“Sice? What are you doing here?”  
  
Seven tilted her head when she stepped out of the door and into the garden behind Classroom 0, eying Sice who lied face first in the grass under a shadow of a tree. Well, this was odd. She never saw Sice lying in the grass in the middle of the day, especially not with her face pressed in the grass. She'd rather spent her time in her room, so why was she lying here?  
  
The moment Seven stepped out from the stuffy classroom and closed the door behind her, a wall of unbearable heat crashed right in her face.  
  
She let out a deep breath, tightening the grip around the books she carried, and took a look at the sky while she shielded her eyes with a hand to her forehead.  
  
Great, no cloud in the sky. Another way-too-hot summer day in Rubrum.  
  
“Sice?” She called out to her again when she stood in front of her, kneeling down to her when she didn't make any movements. “... You okay?”  
  
“Hell no.” Sice groaned and mumbled something in the grass Seven couldn't understand, still not making any further moves.  
  
Perplexed and rubbing her forehead, Seven placed her books right beside Sice and decided to sit down next to her, the heat she got exposed to slowly showing an effect on her.  
  
Not even a minute outside and she already began to sweat. Even with the summer uniform that was supposed to help at this temperatures the heat got undeniably too much if she sat here too long.  
  
The question from earlier still remained as she got to feel the heat building under her clothes, not sure how much longer she could sit here.  
  
Seven patted on Sice's back after a few seconds of silence passed, earning another groan from her. “Why are you here and not inside? You get a heatstroke if you continue to lie here.”  
  
“Hah, I wish I could go inside!” Finally Sice decided to move, first pushing herself up, and then rolling right onto her back. “But guess what, the damn air cons broke _except_ for the Crystarium and they have no idea when they'll fix it again. Great, huh?”  
  
“... Oh. So that's why … “ Seven recalled the heavy amount of cadets suddenly invading the usually quiet place. Studying with such noise got impossible and that's why she took the tour outside, not being aware of any problems.  
  
Now that she got here, everything made sense.  
  
“So I guess the dormitories are hotter than outside?”  
  
“You got it.”  
  
Silence.  
  
Now if that wasn't the worst case, she didn't know. Too hot to stay inside, too hot to stay outside, to even move or study.  
  
What a useless day.  
  
“I'm not going to move anywhere soon.” Sice growled after a while. “Not even when the White Tiger brats decide to show up. No way I'm gonna take my ass to them.”  
  
“... They probably melt at this heat anyways. They do come from a snowy region after all.”  
  
“Heh. Fair point.” Sice tucked her hands under her head now and looked up to the leaves hanging above them. Barely any sun rays came through them, resulting in a quite leafy bower to lie underneath.  
  
The only place to survive this whole day, probably.  
  
Still, it was just _too hot_.  
  
Seven meanwhile leaned on her hands behind her back to support herself while Sice remained lying down on the grass, groaning every now and then. It was starting to get ridiculous, no way they could linger in this heat any longer.  
  
“How is it that you aren't complaining about this heat?” Sice tilted her head to a calm looking Seven. “You must be sweating just like I am.”  
  
“Oh I do.” She said, remaining her closed eyes. “I just think about a cold place and the snow of Milites. It helps, sort of.”  
  
“... Yeah right.” She rolled her eyes.  
  
“Well, I do have another idea, though.”  
  
A hint of a smile appeared on Seven's face and Sice raised her eyebrows at the sudden change.  
  
“And … what?”  
  
Slowly Seven turned to her and reached out one hand and Sice could only widen her eyes when she noticed the faint glow appearing on Seven's hand.  
  
 _Magic?_  
  
In just a matter of a second Seven lowered her hand right on Sice's stomach, a cold percolating right through her clothes down on her skin, practically piercing right through her bones.  
  
Sice squirmed at the sudden low temperature on her skin and yelped, trying to wiggle away from the intense cold that gave her shivers all over her body. She inhaled deep and grabbed Seven's hand to get somewhat a gap between them.  
  
“S-Seven!”  
  
Staring at her she saw Seven snorting at her attempt to break free and eventually Seven let her, retreating her hand and giggled then at the sight of an exhausted breathing Sice.  
  
“Crystals, what the hell. Nice that you warned me before you pulled that off.” Sice signed and patted herself on her stomach, still feeling the dampness of the previous ice there. “... Although it did help, so I guess thanks for that.”  
  
Satisfied, Seven smiled.  
  
“So, again?”  
  
“Huh?” Sice looked up to her, seeing the gentle smile. “... Uh, sure, if you tone it down a bit?”  
  
“I can try.”  
  
Seven's hand began to glow again, little ice crystals appearing in her palm. She inspected her hand a bit before she laid it down on Sice's stomach again, yet this time Sice didn't have to squirm and yelp at the coldness.  
  
Instead it was quite satisfying and she had to sigh at the comforting cold feeling flooding right through her.  
  
Now that way she could definitely survive the day. At least somehow.

 


	36. When Sice refuses to get up

Early mornings were Seven's favorite.   
  
Now if someone asked her why, she probably couldn't answer that. Maybe it was the warm feeling of the early rays of the sun, slowly washing away the tiredness in her muscles and bones from the night. Maybe it was watching the world waking up from its slumber, the yawns of other people at the breakfast table, hoarse voices that still needed to wake up first, the adorable messy bed hair some didn't bother to tame.  
  
Whatever it was, Seven liked every single minute of it.   
  
And so it was almost like a ritual for her to get up early, catching as many minutes of it as she could. She did it pretty much her whole life, no reason to stop it now.   
  
… Even though the person lying right beside her definitely didn't share her views. At all.   
  
When Seven got up, there was a good chance Sice still slept like a rock. And today was no difference.  
  
The sun rose from the horizon in a faint orange, the first rays breaking through the gray clouds that decorated the morning sky. The darkness of the night made room for the light of the day – and Seven's internal clock made sure that with the first dim light piercing through the vermillion curtains, she would rise, too.  
  
With a twitch of her body her consciousness kicked in, her eyelids briefly clenched together before she sleepily opened them. She stretched herself with a yawn and then sunk back, her gaze immediately falling on the girl beside her.  
  
With the blanket drawn to her shoulders, Sice was turned to her, eyes closed and head tucked low, curled up close to her. A low snoring came from her, quiet and almost not audible, noting having a hint of any irritations from Seven's movements beside her.  
  
Seven didn't expect anything else from her.  
  
Her eyes lingered on her for a while. She took her time with that each morning, watching her beautiful girlfriend in those quiet moments. Her messy hair moved in front of her face with each breath and Seven took the opportunity to tuck a strand away, still not getting a reaction from her.   
  
It seemed like she really was sunken deep in whatever dream she had.  
  
Seven could only smile at the sight. What she saw was adorable, sure, sadly today she couldn't enjoy it as much as she liked to. Today had a busy schedule and waking up early was mandatory for it – early class with preparations for tomorrow's mission required attendance and before that breakfast was on the list. Seven had to get Sice awake in order to follow the plan, because otherwise she wouldn't forgive herself if Sice skipped breakfast. Again.  
  
 _Time to get to work_ , Seven said to herself.   
  
Waking up a person was one thing, but waking up Sice without getting to feel her wrath after that was another. With extra finesse and skill she had to do it, slowly and steady, yet with the time sitting in her neck it wasn't as easy as it sounded.  
  
Nevertheless, she tried it. First she shifted closer to her, snuggled and embraced her, feeling the warmth radiating from her. She planted a kiss on her forehead and watched her for a reaction – a tiny stir, more a reaction on instinct than anything else came, but that was it.   
  
She ran her hands up and down the fluffy blanket, over Sice's shoulders and back, watching her carefully while she proceeded to cuddle her. As soft as possible were her touches, gentle strokes she knew Sice liked so much. Seven could see Sice's eyes twitching for a brief moment and maybe she was slowly getting there, but there was still a way to go.  
  
“Sice.” Seven hummed in a gentle melody, hoping to reach her that way. “Sice, wake up.”  
  
Her voice seemed to stir more reactions in her as Seven felt something moving under the blanket and Sice's face started to get irritated, Maybe finally she would succeed with such a gentle wake up method today, the hope was at least there.  
  
… Yet when Seven expected her to open her eyes, Sice only rolled on her stomach and turned her head around, facing away from her now. Seven withdrew her hand from her, staring at her as if she did something wrong.  
  
Sice continued to sleep.  
  
And here she thought she was so close.  
  
Seven lifted herself up and leaned herself over Sice's sleeping form, angling herself just right to catch a glimpse of her face. And of course Sice remained like she did before, only turned around now, pretty fast asleep.  
  
She sighed. So much for that.   
  
“Sice...” Seven whined now, falling down on top of her and laying her chin on Sice's shoulder, pouting as she watched Sice's sleepy face. “Wake up, for me, please?”   
  
She even tucked her arms close to Sice, embracing her from where she lied, but even that didn't help. A distressed grunt came from Sice and she tucked her head even lower, now almost completely buried under the blanket.   
  
“Oh, come on now.” She huffed. “You know we have mission briefings.”   
  
Another grunt came and Sice shifted to pull the blanket completely over her face now, only some of her white strands stuck outside, making it for Seven impossible to see her.   
  
Well, looked like that didn't go well.   
  
“You want it the hard way, huh.”  
  
If the most gentle way didn't work, then she could use a whole different approach. Gentle was over now, she had no qualms doing it the opposite way either – time didn't stop for her, she had to get going anyways.  
  
With a quick glance around the room she got an idea what to do – and thinking about it formed a grin on her face.   
  
Evil.  
  
She drew the blanket away she still was lying under and set her feet on the ground, briefly stretching herself before she went to work. With quiet steps she walked over to the window, exactly the side Sice was currently turned to and this only made it better for her.   
  
Better for her and worse for Sice's precious sleep.  
  
Right before she took one last look to Sice, she grabbed the curtains that darkened the room and withheld the morning sunlight. She had to admit she did feel a bit bad about doing it in such a horrible way, but if Sice didn't want to listen, then it was her own fault that she got this bad treatment.   
  
It was only for her own good, anyways.  
  
In a single motion she pushed the curtains apart. Light immediately flooded the room, touching everything it could. She didn't stop there though, she reached for the window handle and turned them, opening the windows wide. Fresh air filled the room and together with the incoming light, the sleepy atmosphere vanished and replaced it with a nice feeling of positive energy.  
  
Seven took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the morning air, but had to squint her eyes – the sudden light hurt, but quickly she adapted and could turn around to see if her action had an effect.  
  
Only half way turned around she could hear Sice's noises already – a loud groaning – and Seven was sure she could hear her muffled swearing under the blanket. Sice faced the other direction again, completely curled up under the safe blanket that kept her hidden from the intense light that apparently had a big effect on her.  
  
Seven snickered when she walked over to the bed again, crawling closer to Sice's curled up form. She fell down right beside her and wrapped her arms around her in a laugh, feeling Sice's struggle under it.   
  
“Will you open your eyes for me now?” Seven said between her giggles and struggles of holding Sice close, but Sice really didn't hold still and continued to try to shake Seven off.   
  
“Seven … ” This time Sice whined, but she stopped struggling after a while, seeing how her fight led to nowhere. Seven was close to rip the blanket off anyways and she wouldn't allow the last remnant of her comfortableness slip away from her.   
  
She stilled her movements and Seven slowly pushed the blanket away from Sice's face, getting welcomed by a pouting and scowling Sice. She still had her head tucked close, but her tired eyes stared deep into Seven's and Seven couldn't help herself but embrace her even more.  
  
Sice's eyes fell close again when Seven planted a kiss on her forehead, a sigh leaving her at the comfortable closeness.   
  
“Don't you fall asleep on me again.” Seven whispered as she ran a hand through Sice's hair.  
  
“Mhmm, no, I won't.” Sice murmured in return. “But thanks for that wonderful wake-up call.”  
  
“Hey it's not my fault you didn't react the first time, I just did what I had to do. Besides, what should I have done except that to get your attention, huh?”  
  
But Sice only stayed silent, defeated by Seven's words. Seven snickered again at that reaction and kissed her again, this time accompanied by a whisper of “good morning” that drew a small smile from Sice.   
  
“Come on, we have to get going.”  
  
“Yeah yeah.” Sice stretched herself when Seven let go off her, still feeling the tiredness lingering deep in her bones.   
  
But one thing she knew. She wouldn't let go of what Seven did to her that easily. In her head formed revenge already.  
  
No one disturbed Sice's sleep and got away with it, even if it was her girlfriend.

 


	37. The Staring at Seven's butt (slightly nsfw)

Candlelight flickered in the dim room as the only light source, letting shadows dance on the walls and furniture. Whispers of the wind howled outside, but most of all it was a quiet night. A low purring sounded inside the room though, a small chuckle came then as a reaction, but both of them sighed of exhaustion.  
  
Popped up on an elbow, Seven grazed her fingertips over Sice's naked back and watched her deep relaxed girlfriend enjoying this little caressing. Sice meanwhile could only smile, closing her eyes at the soft touching. A purr here and there left her, but the vibration was muffled in the pillow she hugged under her chin.   
  
Still, Seven loved every single sound she made, never getting tired of it. It was music in her ears, so serene and comfortable, just between the two, and honestly she never wanted it to stop. Yet she could see the sleepiness in Sice crawling up – a yawn she suppressed, the noises she made got quieter and lower with each passing minute. She couldn't blame her though, it was late in the night and their previous encounter definitely drew all their strength out.   
  
They outdid themselves and Seven's cheeks grew red at the memory. It didn't help much that she still could see the red streams on Sice's back, exactly where her fingers dug deep into her when Sice let her writhe and moan under her. They didn't seem to hurt though, otherwise Sice would have definitely made a move at the caressing already, but Seven couldn't let it slide just like that.  
  
Her strokes stopped for a while and she hovered her hand over her back now, a faint green light glowing from her palm as she prepared the cure magic. Sice popped up a sleepy eye as the soothing magic washed over her back, a sigh escaping her when the red lines vanished from her back. She tilted her head to Seven then, eying her as she continued her movements from before.   
  
“Your fingernails haven't felt that long though.” Sice said as she closed her eyes again with a smile. “I think I was too busy looking at you screaming my name to feel you ripping my back apart.”  
  
Seven hummed with smirk, oh-too-well knowing what Sice was talking about. “It didn't look that bad, though. Just in case it doesn't heal until tomorrow – you know Mother would ask where it comes from.”   
  
“Fair enough.” She stretched herself, sinking back with a satisfied groan. “Still hurts though.”  
  
“Should I get the massage oil?” Seven grinned. “Maybe it helps to calm your back down again.”  
  
“You seriously want me to fall asleep with your massages, huh.”  
  
“So, should I?”  
  
Sice was silent for a few seconds and rubbed her face against the pillow, defeated once again. “Can't say no to that.”  
  
Patting on her back one last time, Seven shuffled under the shared blanket and pushed it aside, setting her feet on the ground and stretched her arms in the air. A noise built inside her throat, a tiny squeal from the sore limbs she had, but ultimately she stood up then.   
  
It didn't take one step and Sice's sleepy eyes opened wide at the sight. Sure, she might have seen her many times, but this sight – she wouldn't miss that opportunity.   
  
Naked as she was born Seven walked across the room to get the bottle, the dim light of the candles beautifully tracing along her curves, drowning her in the warm atmosphere. The light perfectly played along the muscles on her back and arms, dancing with each step she made.   
  
Sice didn't exactly know where to look first. Mesmerized by the beauty Seven was, her eyes wandered from head to toe. She lingered a while on her back, tracing along the red streams on her shoulder blades – seemed like she wasn't the only one who needed a cure spell on her back. Seriously, she could have been a bit more careful in the heat of passion.   
  
The red markings got lost on her lower back, in the swell of Seven's most sensitive part. Sice loved it to stroke over her lover back down her butt, feeling the well-formed proportions of her – and now here she saw it right in front of her what she grabbed too many times already.  
  
She couldn't keep her eyes from Seven's oh-so gorgeous ass.   
  
Too deep she was while she set her gaze on it, completely turning off her surroundings to the point she only saw Seven walking in front of her – too lost watching the way her butt moved with each step.   
  
She could recall the many times she had the buttocks in her hands while they kissed, pressing her even further against her; the many times she had to shake her head to get clear thoughts again while they trained together, with each combo attack Seven made exposing her butt to her – sometimes Sice could have sworn she did it on purpose.   
  
A groan left her, everything turned hazy and her thoughts ran wild – she didn't even notice that Seven stood still now.  
  
“Enjoying the view?”   
  
Seven's voice let the bubble pop Sice was in right now. She gasped and blinked, shaking her head from the sudden interruption. The butt was still in her sight though, but Seven watched her over her shoulder and flashed her a grin as she set a hand on her hip, tilting her hip with it.   
  
Even though Sice woke up from the intense stare, the view and her thoughts hadn't changed and she continued to watch the booty. Sice might have buried her smile in the pillow below her, yet Seven knew exactly what was going on when she heard Sice's approval hum.  
  
“Thought so. Also … was it you who put the bottle in the lowest shelf? You really want to stare, huh?” Seven turned to the shelf again after she heard Sice's snickering behind her, shaking her head at that Sice's plan worked too well. Of course it was her, who else could have done that.  
  
But if Sice set it all up already, then she could play along, too – that triumph she could give her and really, Seven had her fun, too. Sice was an adorable mess when Seven used her feminine powers on her, so why not going for the kill if she had the opportunity.  
  
Slowly Seven bent down, stretching her butt high in the air to reach the lowest shelf. And Sice's previous tired eyes were suddenly wide awake, intensely staring at the flesh Seven was flashing at her. She couldn't keep her groaning at bay and turned it in a laugh, which Seven could only reciprocate.   
  
Though as slowly she bent down, as quickly she grabbed the bottle and stood normally again, ending this little show off. She joined the still chuckling Sice on the bed again and patted her head.  
  
“Dork. … Shall we then?” Seven waved the bottle in front of Sice and Sice quickly nodded.  
  
“Only if you're gonna sit on my ass.”  
  
“Of course. Don't have anything else in mind anyways.” Seven withdrew the blanket from Sice and opted for her butt to sit on, wiggling a bit until she found a good position.  
  
With the show she just got and Seven's wonderful massage on her back it didn't take Sice long to fall asleep, the grin on her face telling of what she would definitely dream of. 

 


	38. In the light of the candles (nsfw)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a follow up to last chapter.

On the next day, they decided to repeat the happenings of last night. They still had a fairly good amount of candles left they didn't use yesterday, so it would have been a waste to not use them. The same atmosphere happened again, warm and cozy from the flickering light of the candles, a dreamy feeling that basically asked for close cuddling.  
  
Except this time it was Seven who enjoyed a back rub from Sice, sighing dreamily in the pillow below her. Sice stroked gently and soft over her back, soothing over her with the tips of her fingers. Although her hands spoke tales from years of handling a weapon, making the skin of her hands rough, she tried to be as gentle as she could – and when Seven sighed quieter after a while, she knew Seven was about to melt under her touch.  
  
Sice couldn't help but smile, but she stopped her movements after a while, certain that Seven drifted in the trance she gave her. She leaned over her and placed her hands left and right beside Seven under her, angling herself just right so she hovered over Seven's back and leaned down then to meet her naked skin with her soft lips.  
  
A tiny twitch rushed through her and Sice chuckled at the reaction, closing her eyes as she slowly trailed downwards with her lips, centimeter by centimeter, not leaving a single spot out. Only in a matter of seconds goosebumps appeared on her skin, shivers ran down her spine at Sice's worshiping and Seven didn't even try to hide her noises that built in her throat.   
  
Her back was a sensitive place and Sice knew that, using that definitely to her advantage, and showing no desire in stopping any time soon.   
  
And honestly, Seven didn't mind. She meanwhile dug her fingers deep in the pillow she lied on, smiling at the kisses Sice continued to give her on her back. As lower as Sice got, her noises turned into soft moans, muffled in the pillow.   
  
“Sice.” She finally called out with a hint of a laugh when Sice reached the curve of her butt, feeling her grinning against her skin. Sice briefly looked up at the mention of her name, but continued to kiss her, down the soft buttocks she firmly grasped with her hands.  
  
“You love my butt, huh.”  
  
“You know it.”   
  
A chuckle escaped her at the tingling feeling of Sice's kisses, her smooth lips working their way down to her thigh, and when Sice began to kiss the skin there, her chuckling quickly turned into a soft sigh – a blush appeared on her cheeks as Sice grazed her teeth over her inner thigh, slowly pushing her legs apart to let her slightly pop up on her knees. A hand run from her butt up over her back and down again and Seven lifted her lower body more up, just the right height for Sice to worship her even more.  
  
Sice hummed as she held still for a while. The view of Seven being so exposed to her – seeing her swollen vulva yearning for her, almost dripping from Seven's desire, not yet satisfied from the encounter before – it made her groan and dizzy in her head.  
  
Seven wanted to say something – anything – but her mind couldn't get that far. A warmth shot through her when she felt something warm and wet pressed against her folds, a low moan escaping her when she closed her eyes to completely float in her trance. Her breathing quickened at Sice's flickering of her tongue, gasping when Sice pressed closer and sucked on her with gentle humming. Simultaneously she switched between sucking and licking, drawing moans out of her with a skilled tongue – one moment she swirled around her clit, another moment she sucked her folds again, only to go back to her clit then to suck there.   
  
Seven's body began to shake and she tried to rock her hips with Sice's tongue, eventually finding a rhythm that matched with what she wanted. Though Sice had to slow down a bit, but if that was what Seven exactly wanted, then she went with it – that didn't stop her from quickening her movements from time to time though, especially not when Seven reacted with such intense moaning and shaking. She couldn't suppress a grin at that, chuckling against her when a quite load moan came from Seven, only indicating that she was doing a pretty good job with what she did.  
  
With her thumbs she opened her up, delving more and faster into her. Seven cried out when Sice gave her a long loving suck on her clit and didn't let go, instead circling her tongue around it again and again – Seven's legs began to shake and her knuckles turned white from the force of her gripping. She bit into the pillow, but couldn't entirely muffle her broken whimpers. Heat shot through her, her body was one fire, and she was sure she couldn't hold it that long anymore, not with Sice's intense loving and sucking her most sensitive parts.   
  
A drop formed on Sice's chin and dribbled down from her, but Sice didn't care about any of the mess she made. Her tongue continued her work on Seven's wet vulva, sucking her labia and inner folds, drawing her closer and closer to the edge of satisfaction. Seven almost pulled away, too intense the feeling of Sice working on her. If she didn't hurry up any time soon, she didn't know how long she could hold it.   
  
“Sice …!” She whined in desperation, rocking her hips against the tongue that played on her. Yet Sice only teased on the edges where Seven wanted it the most, driving her wild to the point she screamed Sice's name. It fueled Sice's fire, hearing her name like that.  
  
Though as much as Sice wanted to continue that little game, wanting to give her release still topped her priorities. Firmly she grabbed Seven's hips and closed her lips around her clit, going for the final assault that would give her what she wanted.   
  
In an instant Seven lost control over herself and clenched her eyes shut, white heat flashing from her abdomen right through her body and bursting in front of her eyes as stars. Her legs shook and gave in, falling down then as the waves of her orgasm washed over her. Sice hold onto her, drawing the orgasm out as long as she could, but released her then as Seven fell exhausted down.   
  
A single kiss she planted one last time on Seven's wet area before she kisses her way up to her again, wishing over her face with the back of her hand as she reached the top and fell down beside her.  
  
No word left Sice as she pulled her up in her arms, feeling Seven's breath against her, exaggerated and hot tickling on her skin. Carefully and soothing she stroked over her hair, leaving a kiss on her forehead.  
  
The candles still flickered in the room, yet in this night they would go out on their own, burning too long. Neither Seven nor Sice found the energy to move from their spots to care about them, rather enjoying this close embrace until sleep overcame them.

 


	39. Midnight sleepiness

Seven purred. The hand that glided through her fine silver strands was oh-too-distracting from the flickering light of the TV in front of her, letting her tired eyes slowly fall close. Her sight was getting blurry and it was hard to see what was actually going on – not that she really cared much what the movie was about.   
  
With Sice sitting right beside her on the sofa, her attention on anything else was almost non-existing – especially in this tired state. Cuddled close to Sice with her head lying on her shoulder, she could only focus on the slow breath she felt against herself, how it tickled on her skin and moved her hair.   
  
Sice planted a kiss on her temples and buried her face in Seven's silver hair, not letting go of this close embrace – and Seven really didn't want that either. She only drew the blanket they shared around their shoulders closer, fueling the cozy warmth to the point it only made her more sleepy.   
  
But she didn't mind that right now, honestly – today was an eventful day, having the children of her orphanage bake her a cake and surprise her with a gift they planned together with Sice, some sort of an act they wonderfully played out where everyone was involved. She was able to lean back for the day and let all her work slide for her birthday – Sice took care of the children and they in return helped wherever they could – and now it was almost midnight, the end of a beautiful day Seven wouldn't forget that fast.  
  
The last candles burned out, the TV functioned as the only light source now, almost engulfing the room in the darkness of the night.  
  
“Hey.” Sice nudged Seven when she fell her slipping away and Seven briefly blinked her eyes at the sudden change of events, suddenly aware she almost fell asleep right now.  
  
“Huh.” She drew one hand to her face and rubbed her eyes, sighing then as she returned to her previous position.  
  
“Do you wanna continue eating tomorrow then? We still have some leftovers.”  
  
“... Yeah.” She yawned, her eyes half lidded again and close to falling close completely.   
  
Sice could only chuckle at the tired mess Seven was right now, letting her hand roam over her head again, feeling with each passing second how Seven was more and more close to being asleep. If she continued that way, she surely would fall asleep against Sice on the sofa any minute by now.  
  
For a second, Sice held still.   
  
“Come on then.”  
  
Quickly she stood up to reach for the TV remote lying on the table and turned it off, turning to Seven again, only to find her snoozing against the arm rest already.  
  
So much for that.  
  
Sice sighed. Now without the TV light it was hard to see in the room, but the moonlight provided enough light to make out Seven's sleeping form curled up under the blanket.   
  
She took her time to admire her.   
  
The days in the orphanage were stressful lately and seeing her that relaxed today truly melted her heart. That today was her birthday was the perfect opportunity for resting up and laying back – and now she finally fell peacefully asleep after that long day. Surely Sice had seen her like that many times, but even after these years the butterflies in her stomach continued to tickle.  
  
She shook her head after a while and smiled then when she crouched in front of the sofa, stroking one last time over Seven's hair. She couldn't leave her here, no matter how adorable it looked. In an instant she hooked her arms under her and lifted her up with both arms, including the blanket, trying not to disturb her in her sleep when she made her way to the bedroom.  
  
And it looked quite well for a while. Until in the middle of the hallway Seven moved her arms up Sice's neck and drew her close – Sice was so caught off guard so promptly stood still and looked down to Seven in her arms, only to see the hint of a smile on her face in the little light that was currently available.   
  
“Thank you,” Seven whispered before she tucked her head close to Sice's shoulder again, “love you.”  
  
And after that, Sice could hear her snoring again. She snorted with a smile at this adorable bundle in her arms, continuing to walk down the corridor to their bedroom, ready to call it a day, too.   
  
With the way Seven was currently sleeping in her arms, she surely wouldn't have a problem with that. And that definitely would be a nice ending for her birthday – giving her the embrace she needed for a good sleep.   
  
… Until the next morning will rise and the day starts again.

 


	40. Tired birthday morning

A gentle morning filled the air, hazily soothing over the thick layer of dreamy sighs and smells of the morning that made it hard to get anything productive going. A quiet yawn sounded, muffled by the sheer force of trying not to make a noise, too lazy to cover it with a hand, rather enjoying the noises from the early day.  
  
Too lazy to properly open her eyes, Sice dragged her feet over the carpet; from the bedroom to the bathroom and from there to anywhere she could find food, preferring it would pop up just right in front of her. Jackpot if she could eat in bed. With a coffee.   
  
But sadly for that she actually had to get going, this wasn't the dreamworld after all where she could just imagine things happening, unfortunately.   
  
She woke up alone earlier, meaning that Seven must have been on her feet already, which didn't surprise her at all. Though today she wished that Seven would have stayed in bed with her, keeping her company until she properly got her mind going. (Though knowing herself, this would have taking all day, considering how much she rather wanted to stay in bed and enjoy the quietness of the day for once.)  
  
So Seven must have been somewhere, already jumping right into the day to make the most of it. The house wasn't that big, finding her shouldn't be that of a problem. Downside was that Sice really wasn't that awake, her mind still foggy and on a level she shouldn't be allowed to get up.   
  
Maybe it was because her muscles were still sleeping and sore from yesterday night, aching in places she felt the gentle touches on. But that's a story for another time.  
  
Her body just wanted to soak up anything that brought her comfort, _especially_ today, because she couldn't believe another year went pass again already. Since the days got quieter, since her _whole life_ got quieter, she actually could enjoy her time for once, away from the past she no longer wanted to remember. Time went on peacefully and she wanted to embrace every single second of it.  
  
… Which meant her mission was to find Seven, the main source of her comfort, and maybe, just maybe Seven had a surprise for her, considering it was her birthday today.   
  
Seven could be a cheesy one, no doubt she had something in store for today.  
  
Sice reached the living room downstairs, poking her head inside for a brief while, only to notice it was empty. The rays of the sun through the glass front gave a beautiful spectacle, but Sice longed for something different right now and carried on her search. Her stomach began to grumble and in her tired state she was so ready to just fall into Seven's arms and continue sleeping.  
  
There could only be one place where Seven could be and Sice was sure her next stop would finally bring her satisfaction. She ambled along the hallway, following her instinct and eventually picked up a faint smell that definitely let her stomach grumble even more.   
  
A groan left her at the sweet smell, rich and even fruity, at least according to her tired mind.   
  
With a smile on her face she reached the kitchen, and her grin even intensified when she made out Seven standing with the back to her, seemingly busy with whatever she was doing right now. Almost on autopilot Sice made her way over to Seven, her bare feet padding over the tiles in an attempt to make as less noises as possible.  
  
Her slender arms hugged Seven close when she reached her, face pressed into her shoulder as she took a deep breath to inhale the scent that stimulated her sense to no end.  
  
She felt Seven lean into her hug and her exhale from the small laugh that left her.  
  
“Please don't burn down my kitchen.” Sice murmured against the fabric of Seven's shirt, her eyes spying over her shoulder to see what Seven did, though getting it blocked by kitchen utensils.  
  
“Don't worry, I have it under control.”   
  
Seven laid her hands on Sice's ones on her stomach, taking them with her when she turned around to face her, though Sice immediately continued burying her face into Seven's shoulder, finally being there where she wanted all morning.   
  
“Good morning, birthday girl.” Seven snickered as Sice yawned against her, not making any intentions in moving soon. Seven's hand glided through her white hair, trying to make eye contact with her, but she only received a tired groan. “Still that tired, huh.”  
  
A beep came from behind them and Seven tilted her head over her shoulder, then down to the oven.   
  
“Oh, looks like one of your presents is almost ready.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
Finally Sice lifted her head up to see what Seven meant, curiously looking downwards to get a glimpse of what was in the oven. Yet Seven stood right in front of it, blocking the view for the pouting Sice.  
  
“ _Almost_ ready, I said.” She grinned as she lifted Sice's chin up again, stroking over her pouting lips.   
  
“Unfair.”  
  
“... But I can show you the other thing.” Seven turned around again to the stove, feeling Sice's gaze over her shoulder as she revealed what she hid beneath the pan lid.   
  
“Pancakes!” Her eyes lit up like those from a little girl and immediately all her tiredness she felt in her body before seemed to be washed away by the single sight of the wonderful breakfast. “Seven, _I love you._ ”  
  
Seven had to laugh at Sice's reaction, mentally patting on her shoulder to congratulate herself for that idea.   
  
Well, to be fair, giving Sice food was never wrong.   
  
“So, you're ready to eat?”   
  
“Yes!”  
  
And so the tired Sice changed into a very enthusiastic one, grabbing the plates to not waste any second now. Now that was a way to start her birthday and Seven couldn't wait to give her her birthday cake that still baked inside the oven.

 


	41. A New Beginning

Seven sighed and leaned her head back. She sat on her bed with her back against the wall and simply stared into the moderate decorated room, not focusing on anything particular.   
  
Not that there was anything to focus on in the distance anyways.  
  
But the room was only enlightened with a dim light she turned on an hour ago and since that she hadn't move an inch, and actually she wouldn't want to move either.  
  
With the weight in her lap it wasn't a good idea in the first place.  
  
She closed her eyes – an attempt to soak up the minimal rest she could get in these last few minutes – and dropped her hand into her lap, trying to find the hair line of the person's head lying there. She found it rather quickly and moved her fingertips along the silver strands.   
  
Sice only let out an irritated breath and continued her sleep.   
  
A sleep Seven would have had this night gladly. It was supposed to be a special day today, one they all trained so hard for, or so Mother said. But for some reason she couldn't find any rest this night, no matter what she tried – her heart was beating too fast, her body had an inner uneasiness she couldn't point out.   
  
As if her soul knew something she wasn't aware of.   
  
_I can sleep when the mission is over. I should focus on preparing the mission now._ Seven's mind was a jumble in that tired state, but when it came to executing tasks for Mother, she was on high alert no matter what. Like a switch that got turned around.  
  
And with that thought in the front, she blocked out the tiredness lingering in her as if it didn't bother her the whole night and turned her head down to Sice.  
  
Her hand was still tracing over her, playing with a loose strand that hung in front of her face. Seven didn't know why she always ended up watching her, especially when Sice came over to her bed and slept beside her instead of staying in her own, but whenever Sice did that, a familiar feeling flooded through her, provided her with warmth in this cold facility she spent the majority of her life in.  
  
A warmth she wanted to treasure with her heart.  
  
Seven shook her head and caught a glimpse of her clock in the corner of her eye.   
  
Aqu. XII 842, shortly after 3am. _We should get going_.  
  
“Sice.” She whispered and turned her head down to her again, gliding one last time her fingers over her head. “We need to prepare. Mother will come soon.”  
  
“Ughg, I know.” Sice mumbled in return, apparently not as deep asleep as she pretended to be. “Give me a minute.”  
  
And with that she rolled off Seven, stretching herself as if she just had the best sleep ever, including making noises where Seven had to hide her smile from. She sat up then right beside Seven, rubbing briefly her eyes before she seemed to be ready for whatever would come next, too.   
  
“Let's go.”  
  
Seven nodded, though she couldn't shake off the feeling that this mission was about the bring them a change of their lives.   
  
A new beginning.

 


End file.
